The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-09-14
BY JAMES A. CARvIN

BY JAMES A. CARVIN
Undernourished, pale and i'll, a
child Of a poverty-stricken family
in indianapolis may die next year
for lack of medical attention, in or
der that the 1888 tax levy may be
reduced three quarters of a cent.
Or a mother may carry her un-
born child to the grave because 20
per cent was slashed from the food
and medical supply item Of the
board of health.
DR.. Herman @. Morgan, secretary
of the city board of health said to-
day that the proposal of tax reduc-
ton organizations to slash 20 per
cent from all appropriation requests
for supplies would result in the
health agencies Of the city actually
having to refuse immunization to
school children against scarlet fever
and diphtheria.
Must Guard Against Epidemics
"On the basis of the proposed re-
duction in our supply item, one out
Of five children now treated with
preventive measures against con-
tagious disease would be forced to
take his chance next year without
benefit of medical aid" DR.. Morgan
said.
TO determine which of five chill
dren shall be refused is a re-
sponsibility no city official should be
forced to bear.
At the time the 1888 health board
budget was under consideration, it
was suggested that $4,000 could be
saved by throwing out medical in
spection and the school nursing
corps. replied that to do so would
give us no control against the spread
of epidemics.
Our records show that only one
death occurred from typhoid fever
in the first eight months of this
year Without our school health
program, the death rate would be
fifteen or twenty in that period.
Near danger LiU6 INOW
"As it now rests with the council,
the board of health budget has been
reduced $87, 84344 bringing us to
the danger line. Our supply item
for medicine, food and milk totals
$190639, barely enough to carry us
through the year.
with that item reduced by more
than $4,000, less than 10 cents per
capita, we would be unable to carry
out the program which has made
indianapolis one of the healthiest
cities in the middle west.
DR.. Morgan said that there lis no
reason to believe that, in time of
depression and with hundreds of
families unable to purchase medical
care, our need for supplies will be
less.
1T is at times like these that
epidemics make their greatest in
roads into the population" he said.
children and adults are under
nourished, living standards are low
or and resistance is weaker. Now
is the worst time to curtail health
program.
Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
In 1881 we had the lowest NOR
tality rate for infants under year
of age that we have had for years.
1t was only forty-three in each
1000, compared with los to lis a
thousand in other years.
Our infant welfare stations, field
nurses and available pure milk sup
ply, coupled with our prenatal
training courses directly are reSpon-
sible. Milk for these infants is pur-
chased from our supply fund, al
ready pared to the bone and now
threatened with another 20 per cent
reduction.
There is no clearer case of be-
ing penny wise and pound foolish
than to curtail the function OF a
health department. Yet $500 was
cut from the fund used to buy street
car tokens in order that public
health nurses can take children to
the city dispensary for preventive
treatment.
Don't Neglect Human Side
I'VE are asked to save % cents in
carfare. and perhaps spend $3.50 a
day at the city hospital to care for
the child after his condition reaches
a serious stage. That is the flnan-
cial end of it, to say nothing of per-
haps costing the childs life, because
of neglect 1t is
The telephone bell rang. After
listening intently, Morgan turned
from the phone.
There is a young girl lying in a
comatose condition at her home on
Central avenue RThe family has nc
money A publ health doctor re-
pors that insulin is absolutely es-
Sential in her treatment We have
it at the city hospital for free dis
tribution-now.
Next year we may not have the
money to buy it. And there are
hundreds of cases similar to hers.