Evening star., 1941-05-02
Child Health Speakers
Point 10 Necessity
OF Dental Care
McNutt and Others
Outline Gains Needed
For Stronger Race

The vital Importance OF the health
and strength of the Nations chill
dren-keynote of the National Child
Health Day celebration yesterday
was being re-emphasized here today
as health and welfare leaders OBJ
served Child Dental Health Day
AS a feature of today's celebra-
ton, the Women's Auxiliary Of the
District Dental Society will hold
open house for child health and
welfare workers and interested lay
groups at pm, at the dental clinic
of Children's Hospital.
Among the organizations which
planned to be represented at the
gathering are the District Dental
Society, the Variety Club, the Board
of Lady Visitors of Childrens Hos
pital, the Health Security Admins
tration, the Public Health Service,
the Health Committee of the Con-
gress of Parents and Teachers, the
National Dental Hygiene Assocla-
ton, Council of Social Agencies,
Board of Education and the District
Health Department.
Another high light will be broad
cast over VOL tonight at $50
o'clock featuring talks by Dr. Wal
ter A Rath, chief of the Ch:ldren's
Hospital dental clinic, and Mrs. Will
liam L. Walters, preSident-elect of
the Women's Auxiliary of the Dental
Society. They will stress the I'M
portance of adequate dental care in
the light of the fact that dental de-
fects are the leading cause for 'e-
lection of draftees from the Army.
McNutt Notes Dental Cripples."
Federal Security Administrator
McNutt called attention to this
point in an address last night be-
fore more than 400 persons, includ-
ing national and local leaders in
the field of child health and welfare,
at a dinner at the Mayflower Hotel
climaxing the National Child Health
Day celebration.
He said that dental disease is the
cause of II per cent of the reflections
on grounds of physical fitness by
selective service boards and of % per
cent of the reflections by the Regular
Army, and that in one community
the Army reported only 3 out of
100 boys inducted did not need
some form of dental treatment.
Mr.. MCNutt declared studies of
children in 26 States point in the
same direction-'probably more than
half of all our School-age children
are victims of untreated tooth
decay"
The administrator said concerted
effort to improve nutrition offers one
immediate line of attack on this
and other childhood health hazards.
The Nations nutrition record, he
said, is one instance "of our failure
to do what we know how to do for
child health and national health"
England Pictured.
DR.. Martha M. Eliot, associate
chief of the Children's Bureau of
the Labor Department, who was a
member of the American mission
sent to England to study problems
of civil defense, told the dinner that
"all England has become a mammoth
child-placing agency"
Despite the war and its hard
ships" she said, "England'S maternal
and child welfare services actually
are being improved and strength
ened. There is no city or county in
England without extensive child
health services, school medical serv-
ices, a skilled midwife and a con-
sulting physician. But I found no
complacency among the workers
only a realization that they could
improve their services even more"
But she said the picture is not all
rosy. The tragedy around children
and fear of the future "are leaving
scars that may never disappear"
Urges Full Speed Ahead"
"England's success on the civil de-
fense front shows the wisdom of
planning far ahead" DR.. Eliot de-
clared. I'VE must not recede, but
must order full speed ahead for our
maternal and child health pro-
grams"
The gathering also heard addresses
by Miss Katharine F. Lenroot, chief
of the Children'S Bureau: DR.. Ella
Oppenheimer, director of the Bureau
of Maternal and Child Welfare of
the District Health Department, and
DR.. George c. Rutland, health
officer of the District
Miss Lenroot warned that interest
IN child health and welfare must
not be confined to the home or the
geographical boundary of a COM
munity, but that citizens must con-
slider the extent to which oppor-
tunities for health service and
medical care are lacking or deficient
anywhere in the Nation "and must
be gravely concerned over the fact
that millions of children do not have
access to services commonly re-
garded as indispensable"
DR.. Oppenheimer, citing accom-
plishments in the fields of maternal
and child welfare and public health
in the District since 1886, declared
there are still many inadequacies
and wasteful gaps which should be
corrected promptly"
Calling attention to the Districts
rapidly increasing population, DR..
Oppenheimer said the influx is in
tensifying child health problems
and that additional resources must
be provided for maternal and child
health protection. She said public
and private facilities and personnel