The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-29
Mother Can
AUe7t Much
UnhabbineSS

Friday. May will be celebrated as
National Child Health day throughout the
United States. The findings Of the white
House conference on child health and
protection have stimulated interest in this
celebration greatly. The following article
BY an eminent child specialist has been
prepared specially for The Times in con-
nsetlon with local May day activities.
BY GUISEPPI PREVITALI, M. d.,
Attending Physician. Bellevue Hospital.
New York City.
All children appear beautiful to-
their own mothers. The defects
which outsiders readily observe very
often are the object Of tender ad-
miration TO the maternal eye. It is
only natural that parents should be
more attached to the child who,
because Of imperfe~ ions, is in need
OF greater protection.
And this is the explanation of the
negligence on the part Of many par
ents, in not helping their children
TO correct defects which cause I'M
happiness. and which become serious
drawbacks through their entire
lives.
Let us begin with the newborn
babe. The deformity of the heads
Of babies, due to difficult births,
usually is temporary thing. and
adjusts '--'f with time.
Sun Baths Help
Sun and air baths, frequent bath
ing and the handling Of the child
during the drying process after the
bath, are beneficial to the functions
Of the skin, to its beauty, and to
developing muscles which give grace
TO the body.
Many babies are born with large
ears that stand away from the head.
When they rest their little heads on
their pillows their ears are bent
forward, and actually become de-
formed. These children often are
the objects Of scorn at school, and
If their mothers had been wiser,
much unhappiness could have been
avoided.
Covering the head Of the infant
with soft, light cap that binds
the ears close to the head, from
the very first days of his existence,
is tie best and simplest -0thod of
correcting this eject. Then, there
IS the fattening Of t'-o back of the
baby's head. This is due to the
fact that the infant is permitted to
remain lying on his back during
his sleeping as we'll as his resting
hours.
Lay the head Of the baby on the
right and left SIDE alternately. One
can also help many irregularities
of conformation of the head, by
having the child rest on the pro-
truding side.
Halt Thumb Sucking
Sucking the thu--b is a nervous
fault very common among little
ones. This must be halted imme-
diately and energetically at it's very
first appearance to eradicate a bad
habit which leads to many others.
Thumb sucking produces a de-
formation Of the front part of the
jawbone. Normally, the upper in
cisors should meet the lower ones
IN a position directly in front Of
them, so that the process of grind
ing and masticating ones food may
be facilitated.
This position of the teeth is al
tered with children who suck their
thumbs. If the upper inciSors pro-
trude forward, not alone do they
prevent proper mastication, but
they produce a reformation of the
mouth and lips, the cc~~ection Of
which requires no end of costly at
tention in later years.
And how many children are there
In this climate who, inhaling the
dusty air of the city, develop en-
larged adenoids and tonsils? Here
they must breathe with open
mouths, because the nasal passages
are closed.
Face Is Disagured
do not wish to deal at present
with the bronchial, pulmonary and
auditory complications that arise
from defective breathing. 1 want,
however, to draw your attention to
the lines disfiguring the faces; to
the dull expressions of these chill
dren who must keep their mouths
open and who are on the verge of
semi-deafness and have STOPPING
shoulders. And all this because of
the fear of simple operation for
the removal of tonsils and adenoids.
1t also is surprising to observe
the results of the proper exercises
for correcting any deformity Of the
back, and holding the body upright.
Strabismus, or cross-eyeS, is an
other defect, the Importance Of
which many mothers fail to COM
prehend. It often develops slowly,
and is due either to a weakness of
the muscles or to defective sight.
This often can be corrected by
strengthening the eyes and reliev-
ing them of any excessive fatigue or
bright light, and also by correcting
v-ieioy, with the aid of glasses