Evening star., 1928-04-15
District Health Service
Maintains High Mark
RY GEORGE II. DACY.

Al partment under the direction o
DIR. w. G. Fowler serves us il
nne way or another, for the eminentlN
satisfactory status has been reached
where the general public and scientific
investigators consider universal gooC
health as more important than riches
From the days of Swad6ling clothes
the constant surveillance and aid of thC
health officer are At the call of every
resident of the District.
The 6eDartment strives to direct per.
feet health to every local household and
10 divert disease from its threshold
This is an enterprise that keeps a large
CORPS Of trained experts and assistants
busy every waking hour.
The task of providing sanitary sur
roundineS keeping the city clean. pre-
venting the sale Of diseased, contami-
mated or adulterated food, maintaining
public restaurants and dining rooms in
neat and clean condition. Quarantining
all who suffer from communicable or
infectious diseases. safeguarding the
health Of school children and providing
free clinics and diSpenSarieS where the
needy may be examined and treated is
real assignment,
The District by law requires that
each birth be recorded officially. Sev-
eral weeks later the young mother may
need professional advice on the care,
clothing and handling Of her babe. she
then visits the baby clinic. where skilled
nurses and expert doctors examine,
weigh. measure and classify the child in
their extensive index records The nurses
explain how to dress and care for the
GlTninut!ve newcomer. The doctor ad-
vises concerning the mothers diet.
Subsequently. at stated intervals, the
mother reviSitS the baby clinic. Science
acts as adept guardian in Superintend-
ing the development of the infant into
q strong, sturdy. Stocky youngSter. The
growth. development and health of each
child are taulate6 i'll the District rec
ordS. The children of the District Com
mlSSioncrS or the sons of Senators are
accorded the same treatment at the
District clinics as the offspring of hum
bic citizens. The same care and at
tention, helpful suggestions and prac-
Ccal recommendations are served 10 all.
TheSe child hygiene centerS annually
guide thousands Of chubby youngsters
along the high roads of health from
babyhoOd until they are old enough TO
enroll at kindergarten.
WHEN the child first enters school,
District doctors and dentists eX-
anime the new pupil in order to identify
any physical defects if they are present
OF 5000 kindergarten and first-grade
pupils examined recently in Washing
ton 81 per cent were found deficient
physically IN one way or another. This
quest yielded something much more
important than statistical information.
1t located defects which. in most cases,
could be corrected. Such bugaboos of
childhood as bad teeth. diseases tom
sils. adenoids, impaired vision or hear
Ing, speech defects and similar matters
are brought to light in these school,
room clinics Parents who did not
know that their Toms and Jerrys. Polls
and Marys were thus afflicted discov-
cred the unpleasant truth. The stitch
In time saves nine" in this case as in
many others. Corrective measures or
minor surgical operations remove the
hlemisheS.
Many who are unfamiliar with the
activities of the Health Department
visualize ii inaccurateiy as an officer OF
the law with special police duties which
II attends 10 aSSfduOuSly. It does. in
fact. enforce the labor laws, and quar-
entines homes where cases of danger
Gus, communicable diseases are disccv-
cred. 1t is guardian angel Of the pure
food laws and sees to 1t that eating
places, as wen as markets and food
stores. are kept in slightly and sanitary
condition. but primarily, the depart
n1cnt IS a protectorate and research
specialist It guards the individual and
his household against sickness and dis
s@@-e. II Is the ardent disciple of good
health
Washington as a municipality leads
the world IN various aspects Of health
promotion work For example, the Ma
tional Capital leads in the purity OF the
dairy products and other foods which
are consumed within It's boundaries. The
local supplies Of milk and cream are the
best 70 which any American city has
access.
Government agencies connected with
the enforcement Of national pure food
and drug laws aid indirectly in i'm
proving the city food supplies. while the
gegular inspection. by District repre-
sentatives. Of all food stores and their
g0cCs assists directly in this campaign.
Eliminating consideration Of climatic
factors, Washington Tanks IN the van
OF municipalities IN the matter Of mer-
itorlous health records This obtains
because the seat Of Government Is free
from the handicaps of industry. The
air We breathe is purer than that Of the
ordinary city. The hazards Of steel
mills, the risks Of railroad shops. and
The dangers Of working daily with high
powered machinery do not enter into
Wssningtcn's mortality records
Furthermore, in the matter of enuca-
ton and average intelligence. WASH
tngto8 Is head and shoulders above the
ordinary city Of the New World. And
greater intelligence usually reflects
above normal precautions in the indi-
FlcualS care o! his physical well being.
The average resident Of the City 0f
presicentg is better fed, better clothed,
ffd has access " more plea8uTabie en-
tertainuent and social advantages than
caiiy mail somewhere In u. S. A. This
..seafs that the District Health Depart
ment has much more malleable mate
rial with which 10 work than does the
ordinary municipal organization
Recent cata from the Bureau of the
Census gives WaShln2ton'g population
a. 5zs 000-334 800 whites and I33 100
colored The births in the District dur
irg the last fiscal year exceeded the
deaths by more than 70 per cent The
blgthrate per / 900 Of population Was
.f05, while the death rate Wag - 80
The most potent causes " mortality in
TIE District during a recent year were
Heart disease. 1872. nephYtis. 732;
pneumonia. sQ7. pulmonary tubercU-
-os1s, gS2. and apopiexy, 5Ig
The Death rate of infants under 0ne
year u age has recently decreased from
S15 PER 600 ~ s45 per thousand.
THIS decline IL the rate occurred chief
" among the coIoFeo population. SHOW
ing tfge results u health education
eoaQpalgYsa and TIE Efficient operation
of the baby clinics, their doctors snd
nurses
AeasleS. tuberculosis, Wiooping cough,
chicken par. d3phtheyi& and scarlet fe-
ser sfe diseases which, even 10day, cel-
lect heavy Toll ~ human liYes IN and
around Washington