Evening star., 1933-10-07
CHILD NUTRITION
PERIL IS DENIED
New York Doctor Takes Is
sue With Health ParIey
Leaders.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Taking sharp issue with Mrs. Frank
lin D. Roosevelt. Harry L. Hopkins,
Federal relief administrator and others,
DR.. Haven Emerson of New York, yes
terday told a child health conference
here that the youngsters of the coun-
try are not suffering from malnutri-
ton as the result of the depression.
DR.. Emerson. president-elect Of the
American Public Health Association
declared that no drive against under
nourishment among Americas children
is needed, despite the pleas made for
this work by the wife of the President
the relief chief and Miss Frances
Perkins, Secretary Of Labor.
Health Said Improving.
THE evidence is consistent. continu-
GUS and overwhelming that the health
of the people Of this country has been
improving steadily since 1929" DR.. En-
erson said, land it would constitute a
betrayal of the populace if We use the
threat or fear of ill-health and neglect
of childhood to rouse agencies of Gov
ernment or private groups by an or
ganized clamor about child health at
this time"
Miss Grace Abbott, children's bureau
chief. replied:
But. doctor. We believe there is NAL
nutrition among children"
To DR.. Emerson's suggestion that
stress needed to be laid on proper
preparation of foods. Miss Abbott said
There is no doubt that well filled
pay envelope and an intelligent mother
to spend it would be the answer tc
the problem. But the Federal Relief
A., ;rx- iyf ~
communities where whole families are
living on s1.50 per family per week.
Death Rate Low.
DR.. Emerson said the coal miners, the
needleworkers. the cotton pickers anc
other "unfavored groups" were in nc
worse nourishment situation than they
have been for the past 20 years.
He contended all scientific medical
indexes, such as the death rate, the
infant mortality rate, the tuberculosis
rate and the communicable disease rate
were never lower than in the past foul
years
THE oft-quoted figures of increase
in malnutrition among the school chill
dren of New York City means just ex-
formity of observation or comparison
of criteria," said DR.. Emerson. in con-
tending that widespread school examin-
ations to discover the undernourished
children would be valueless.
Dr. Mary Riggs Noble of the Penn.
sylvania State Health Department
challenged his statement. saying that ir
Pennsylvania health examinations OF
school children had been found of in
estimable value, and had produced def
mite results.
Figures Submitted.
DR.. Earle G. Browne, State health
officer of Kansas. said that examination
of $4,000 school children had SHOWN
that IS per cent were suffering from
malnourishment. and that 70 per cent
of those children in agricultural dis
tricts were not drinking milk.
Mrs. Roosevelt earlier had suggested
that one or two women leaders be picked
in each community to follow up the
child in school that is found to be badly
off back to the family, and study the
family background, thereby getting at
the pre-school child"
Mrs. Roosevelt said:
THE economic conditions all over
the country have naturally brought
about far more malnutrition than we
have in normal times"
Hopkins said that "in very large
proportion of the whole population, the
standard of living has been reduced to
pauper level of so to go cents day
to live on"