The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-04-29
CHILD CARE
DISCUSSEDBY
STATE NURSES
Scoring of Youth Explained
BY Physician at Con.
ventiOn Session
TALK ON DENTISTRY
Annual Meeting to Close
With Banquet Tonight
at Local Hotel
TALK ON DENTISTRY

rhe scoring of seven year old
child for weight in relation to height,
lvr ule., 1ood habits. posture, eyes.
teeth, and other physical character
ist.es. and the presentation Of sew
eral addresses and reports of dele
session of the Thirteenth Annual
Convention of the North Dakota
State Nurses Association, which con-
vened yesterday at the Masonic Tenn
pie, and will adjourn this evening
after thes annual banquet to be held
at eight o'clock at the Grand Pacific
Hotel.
Taking a Bismarck school child,
DR.. Caroline Hedger this morning
examined and rated it according to
a standard score card for parents and
children which she had prepared in
connection with her work under the
Elizabeth Mccormick Memorial Fund
in Chicago. Parents themselves
should score themselves and their
children, the speaker urged, as an
important educational factor in pro-
noting child health.
DR.. R. S. Towne of Bismarck at
the morning session gave an ad-
dress on "Dentistry as Applied to
Nursing" taking up separately the
curative and the preventive phases.
"The care Of the teeth Should begin
during the prenatal period" he said.
1.-The future mother, properly nourish-
cd, should be able to supply all Of the
essential elements for body building,
including the dental structure" !"
Then, he stated, upon the arrival of
.he child's teeth they should be in
spected at rather frequent intervals,
aud as soon as possible the child
should be instructed in the care Of
the mouth. Until he has reached the
age of four or five years, the speaker
said, the nurse or mother can render
valuable aid by familiarzing herself
with the condition of the mouth.
DR.. Towne prescribed the use of
orange wood sticks in cleaning the
teeth Of infants and e, lime water
mouth washes and gargles for the
mother in prenatal care.
With regard to the preventive
phase, he emphasized the Importance
of education, pointing out that the
school system was the logical agency
for instructing children and mothers
in the care of teeth.
DR.. E. P. Quain of Bismarck, in a
discussion of visceroptosis illustrated
with slides talked of the origin and
occurrence of the symptoms Of duo
denum obstruction. The greatest
cause of neurasthenia, he declared,
is visceroptOsis, many suicides hav-
inn been directly caused by neuras-
thenic condition induced by the dis
ease.
Miss Sarah Sand, r. NJ, Of Bis
marck presented her report as del
egate to the American Nurses Asso-
citation meeting at Detroit, Michigan,
last June, at which 785 delegates
were present, representing a total
membership of 47,160 in 49 state as
sociations. Miss Sand told of the
appointment of special committees,
of the distribution Of enormous
quantities of printed material by the
K. Association, and of its representa-
ton at numerous conventions and
conferences. as we'll as of the out
standing addresses made at the con-
vention and of the social features of
the program. Miss AIDA Eldridge,
she reported, had been reelected ma
tional president, and the next con-
vention would meet in 1926 in Allan
tic City.
A report on the Annual Convention
Of the North Dakota Federation of
Women's Clubs, which met at Minot
last October, was presented by Miss
Luella Riste, r. NJ, of Minot.
At this afternoons session the
registration of vital statistics-births
and deaths-in North Dakota was
explained by DR.. A. a: Whittemore,
head of the state health department.
vsC$w
the early seventeenth century in
England, when an edict was issued
compelling all churches to keep a
record of the births, deaths and mar
riages, is essential in modern times,
the state health officer said, in prov
ing parentage, legitimacy. heirsh;p,
majority, citizenship, and it may be
necessary in obtaining passports,
life insurance, pensions, soldiers
bonuses; evidence of legal age to
marry, vote or sign contracts, mili-
tary service, and several other even
Qualities.
Certified copies of all these records
are therefore obtainable from the
state vital statistics bureau, he said.
''The law created the township, viii
lage and city clerks as local regis
trars and requires them to send to
the state office every certificate of
birth ~ud death. Parents and at
tendants are required to register
every birth and undertakers are re-
quired to register each DEATH"
DR., Whittemore said that the cam
paign for complete registration start
ed in June, 1924, and that govern
ment inspector soon found the state
eligible to entrance in the federal
vital statistics field. This inspector
mailed cards to many families in the
state, asking them to fill in the
blanks sent to them. Upon return of
these blanks the states records were
checked, and it was found that 94 PEI
cent of the birth records obtained by
the federal agent were in the North
Dakota records and 96 percent of the
deaths were found on the North Da-
kota registration cards.
DR.. Whittemore asked the cooper
alton Of the nurses of the state in
keeping the records complete.
Speaking after DR.. Whittemore on
"What the Children's Bureau is Do
ing Miss Henrietta Lund, secretary
Of the Bureau, stated that they be-
lieve the fundamental rights Of
childhood are Q normal home life,