Evening star., 1927-04-28
SWAN BOAT TO AID
CHILD HEALTH DAY
Free Rides to Be Given Little
Ones on Saturday on
Tidal Basin.

With the figure of a big white
swan perched in front, the Swar
boat of the Child Welfare Board OF
Children's Hospital has been placed
in the waters of the Tidal Basin and
is being put in shipshape to start
its pleasant voyages of the Summer
on Child Health day, Saturday, by
carrying all children on that day free
of charge.
Picturesque in it's fresh white paint
and striped awnings, equipped tc
make night voyages romantically
lighted by electricity. the pontoor
boat is expected to furnish one OF
the attractive and entertaining fea
lures OF the widely varied May day
program throughout the city over the
week end.
To Furnish Funds.
The tidy craft is designed not only
to furnish delights to thousands OF
children and adults who may ride the
placid waters of picturesque Tida
Basin this Summer, TO view the beau
tiful sights in that vicinity from q
new angle, but it is expected to fur
nish the Child Welfare Board, pioneer
in child health work in this city. with
funds to enlarge substantially its en-
dowment fund for the benefit Of the
childhood of Washington.
The board, which developed ant
operated the nine child hygiene clin
les now in charge Of the District
Health Department, is concentrating
its efforts now on the Child Welfare
Clinic at Children's Hospital, and Is
oic,fY, 30
dowment
About 900 of this has already
been obtained. Through operation oil
| the Swan Boat, presented last year
by The Evening Star, and through
| other activities, including an enter
| tainment to be given in the Fall, the
| board will continue to augment its in
come and approach the 100000 goal.
Child Health Day.
Plans for Child Health day, which
| this year is to be celebrated on Apri
| 30 instead of May /. since May day it
self falls on Sunday, have been par
| ticipated in by the Child Welfare
| Board. as a substantial contributor
Members of this group, which stimu
lated the first public activities by the
Government for children here. are alst
program
| for the day, and are hoping that in
creased attention throughout the Capi
| tai may be focused on the health ot
the child. The board is represented or
| the Child Health day-May day com
| mittee, of which DIR. Hugh ]. Davis
director of the child hygiene service
| OF the District Health Department, is
chairman, and which includes all bod
| les in the Capital interested in promot
| ing the cause.
At its clinic at the Childrens Hos
pitaI the board maintains at an ex
pense of about $4,000 a month a serv
ice which during the month of March
attended 1,051 children. Nurses from
the organization made SAT visits t.
homes during that month, and or
April / there We're carried on the
records OF the board 1882 cases.
Slogan of Clinic.
The clinic Is operated on the slogan
| of Keep the Well Child Well
Through the advice rendered there BY
doctors and nurses remarkable gains
in weight, strength and health gen
orally have been achieved by children
under attention. An increasing mum
Der have been brought in by mothers
and, according to present prospects
| the attendance will keep on increas
ing. calling for additional funds anC
q larger budget.
1mmunization of children agains
dreaded diphtheria is one Of the fea
| lures OF the work of the clinic. Thi.
work is now being carried on eacf
Saturday morning. Last month 5!
| children were given the Schick tes
to determine whether they were sus
ceptible to diphtheria. and 46 children
ranging in age from 6 months t,
years, were given the toxin anti
toxin treatment. This immuniza ton
provided in three treatments, is shown
by medical records to give unusua
protection against diphtheria. 1t i
fully as effective as vaccination
against smallpox, according to DIR
| Davis.
City-Wide Campaign.
The clinic of the board at Children
Ho 'pital will be one of the 13 center
where children will be examined OF
Saturday, Child Health day, in tn
~city-Wide campaign for checking-up oil
th childhood of the Capital. TIL
hours for this examination will b.
from 8 to 1 o'clock.
"'he weekly schedule maintained n
the hospital clinic discloses a cross
section of the service given by doctor
and nurses there to the children o
the city. Tuesday at 1870 O'Clock
Thursday at and Friday morning a
3 MICS are held for white babies an,
pre-school children. Colored infant
and colored pre-school children are eS
amined on Wednesday morning, begir
ming at 8, and Thursday at / O'Clock
A nutrition class for white childre
up to 13 years is held on Saturda
morning, while a similar class for co
ored is conducted on Monday at
o'clock. The nurse in charge of tn
clinic is Miss Caroline Sweeney, al
sisted by other nurses and voluntee
workers from the Junior League.
Emphasis is placed on the "toddIers
in the age group from to 8, wher
children make rapid progress bot
mental and physical. Doctors unde
direction of DIR. Edward e. Brock.
director of the child welfare depart
ment of Children's Hospital, who pal
Il ipates in the work himself in ea
tensi. measure, examine the childre
and give advice to mothers. III chi
dren are referred to their family ply
sician or to the hospital dispensary.
Baby's First Visit.
In the case of a baby coming to tn
clinic for the first time, the nurs
takes a record of the baby's history
1t is weighed, given thorough phys
ical examination by the doctors: it
mother is instructed in proper feedin
and care. and later on the nurse fo
lows up with visit to the home t
assist the mother in handling the foe