Evening star., 1946-03-10
Saluqging Eu1ope:s s PitDul Orphans
DaseRddn Undernourhed Victims Priority

disease-ridden and undernourished chill
dren, is being given first priority for
relief and rehabilitation in salvage
operations surprising in scope any yet
witnessed by this war-scarred planet.
While their elders hurled the most
scientifically advanced methods of
slaughter upon each other, children
perished from wounds, disease, famine.
Those who survived to repopulate the
rubble are suffering from malnutrition,
tuberculosis and multitude Of ailments,
both physical and mental. Many are
orphaned and homeless. Many are too
young to remember their names or even
the country from which they were
uprooted.
Typical of the wrongs inflicted on
these innocent bystanders was one case
reported by Mrs. Cecilia Davidson, a
welfare worker from New York City,
who worked for eight months in France
among children liberated from Germany.
"One little girl carried in what we
thought was baby about II months
DID," she said. "His little arms and legs
had not developed and he was tiny in
size. You can imagine how eerie it was
to have this baby turn around and talk
to us like an old man. He was over
S years of age and he could not walk"
Records Full Of Cases.
Records of the United Nations Relief
and Rehabilitation Administration in
Washington are filled with the stories
of these waits who are tired old men
before having reached childhood, who
are dwarfed from years of malnutrition.
For UNRRA, humanitarian agency of
the United Nations, salvation of the
children is a first priority task among
many. Over 100000 long tons of
supplies have been poured onto the
continent. two-thirds Of which is food
Added to these supplies are the Victory
Food Collections now under way in all
American communities. These have
emphasized the need for milk and baby
food. But the supply Of food is not
sufficient to still the ache Of hunger,
although mass starvation has been
stopped IN Europe.
1t was for this that President Truman
appealed to Americans to tighten their
belts, to eat less bread-the dietary
mainstay of most Europeans.
Soap is high on the list of necessities.
Scabies are prevalent among the chill
dren because soap was one of the
scarcest commodities on the continent
during the occupation by the Germans.
AS soap supplies increase, scabies and
otheg skin diseases born of dirt will
abate.
Tuberculosis Worst Of All.
The most serious scourge for the
children, is tuberculosis. Reports back
to UNRRA's headquarters at 1874 Con-
necticut avenue NV. indicated it
borders on epidemic proportions. Scant
food and clothing, life in cellars and
bombed out novels have made millions
OF youngsters easy prey to this disease
One test made of 10000 children in
Prague showed 40 per cent had lung
disorders. Utilizing miniature X-ray
units provided by UNRRA, similar
studies were made In Greece and Italy
and the unit formerly in Italy has been
sent to Yugoslavia.
In Greece. the disease incidence was
found to have increased four and half
times during the war years; in Yugo-
slavia the case rate and death rate
doubled. and in Italy the death rate rose
two and one-half times. Many of the
children who survived will be crippled
for life by tuberculosis of bones and
joints.
Strenuous efforts are being made by
UNRRA and the local governments to
rehabilitate sanitoria for children and
to establish others.