Indianapolis Times, Volume 43, Number 308, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 May 1932 — Page 19

MAY 4, 1932.

‘Protective’ Foods Need of Children BY I)R THURMAN B. RICE rralnwr *f Indian* Uniirmtt •* Medicine. Much is said in these times concerning the nutrition of children of school and pre-school age. The subject is one of the greatest importance, but is not as difficult as might be supposed, provided there is a sufficient amount and provided certain “protective foods" are used in reasonable abundance. In the first place, the child must have enough food to furnish the energy needs of the body and to give the stomach the distension that it needs to satisfy the pangs of hunger. Fortunately, foods which will satisfy this requirement are not expensive. Potatoes, bread, cabbage, turnips, rice, beans, corn products and similar articles are among the cheapest foods that can be bought. Every one of them is excellent and there is not the least danger in providing children with large amounts of them. It is true that most of them are not rich in vitamines as they commonly are eaten, but we are not discussing vitamines. The first requirements of the body arc energy and material for growth. Needs Fuel Foods The child must have fuel foods which will enable him to be active and to get about in the manner of children. He will need such foods to maintain the body heat and to keep him from being hungry. We seriously doubt if many children even in these times of depression and "trustee’s baskets” are suffering from lack of food of this sort. The "protective foods" present more difficulty. They are much less tangible and may be so unobtrusive that they do not receive the attention they demand. The child aho is hungry for the energy foods mentioned above knows what is the matter with him and every one else soon knows, but the child in need of one of the vitamines does not ask so plainly for what he needs. In this case it takes an experienced eye to see to the bottom of the trouble. He does not grow as he should, his bones are too soft, he is highly subject to infection, his gums are soft and bleeding, his body is too nearly approaching an acid condition. These seem to be medical problems. as indeed they are, but they* are found upon dietary deficiencies and in many instances have their origin in the fact that the child has not the proper food. Milk Protective leader Milk is the great protective food. It contains every one of the essential vitamines, it is rich in mineral except iron, it counteracts the tendency of the body to become acid, it has a beneficial effect upon the intestine by tending to control unfavorable bacteriological conditions, it is digested easily by the normal j child, and, in addition, furnishes a suprising amount of energy. Eggs serve in much the same capacity. In addition, eggs are rich in the only food ingredient that is scanty in milk—iron. These two foods are the only ones which nature has prepared for the full nutrition of a young animal, and A>r that reason they must contain everything needed for growth and development. Fortunately for those out of work —but unfortunately for the producer— milk, and particularly eggs, 1 are lower in price than they have been in years. They should be used more. If the family can not afford to buy them, they should be fur- , nished by organized society, since society can not afford to have the health of its future generations jeopardized because of lack of these fundamental foods. As an ideal, it often is said that a child who receives a quart of milk a day in addition to enough other food to satisfy hunger will not suf- , fer from malnutrition because of lack of food. This does not mean that every child must have a quart of milk, but is merely a statement of a regimen which would be well on the side of safety. I’se Green Vegetables Actually the child that is well fed otherwise can get along very well with no milk. The otherwise poor-! Iy fed child needs the milk very , badly ind£sd if he is to be protected in his diet. Even a pint of milk W’lll be a great help if the quart can : not be securea. Milk contains no food ingredient j that can not be secured from vege-

Great Work Accomplished in 20 Years by Children s Bureau

BY JULIA BLANSHARD NEA S*le Writer YTTASHINGTON, May 4—The W foreboding shadow of governmental economy hovers over the United States children's bureau on its twentieth anniversary. With heads of the bureau and | leaders of child welfare organizations united in opposition to a budget slash, the senate will vote soon on proposals to lower the bureau’s annual appropriation from *395,000 to *20.000. Even the former sum has been considered inadequate in the past. Summarizing twenty years of achievement, the bureau will attempt to show the legislators why a reduction in the appropriation will be a direct blow at the health and well-being of the nation's children. Lillian Wald and Florence Kelly originated the idea. Letters were pouring in: "Why do children die like flies in summer time?"* "Why must I put my children in a heartless orphans’ home just because I have lost my husband, when I could keep my home and little ones together with just a little help?" . . . "The government pays to investigate its cotton crop and to learn how farmers should treat cattle and horses. Why shouldn't it have a bureau to study the child crop?" Miss Wald exclaimed. nun THAT was in 1909. She wired President Roosevelt and he replied "Bully.” But it took three years before a bill framed by Senator Borah passed, .creating this allimportant branch of government work. During the twenty years succeeting, first under the leadership of Julia Lathrop for nine years and under Grace Abbott for the next eleven, this children's bureau has done three distinct and able jobs: First, in child wehhre. Second, in child delinquency. Third, in child labor. When the bureau started, infant mortality was its first interest. Eight typical cities were taken. Surveys were made. It was found that rich folks lost ; one child in twenty-seven; poor folks one in seven. Physical care, sanitation, feeding were found the reason in the difference. It was discovered that more American mothers died in child- | birth than in any other civilized j nation for which statistics were j available. Hall of these mothers were found to die unnecessarily. Out of this year's investigation, w'hich meant at least 23.00 C personal visits to homes, the ShepardTowner bill was passed. Under this bill the government matched the states in funds to set up bureaus for mother and infant health. Only three states failed to accept. 3.000 permanent child health bureaus grew out of It, and mothers and older sisters were taught baby care. * * * BEFORE this bill passed. 76 out of every 1.000 babies died the first year, Seven years after its passage, the ratio dropped to 67. Millions of mothers have learned how babies need spinach and orange juice and that cod liver oil and sunshine will counteract rickets. Even now, however. New Zealand has only half our death rate, so there is more educational work to be done, though over 20.000,000 pamphlets on child ca:e have been distributed, films and lectures given all over the country, and child j clinics in more than 3,000 cities permanently established. This astounding record In infant and mother health is matched by the accomplishments of the Children's Bureau in juvenile delinquency. Before 1912, when Sammy stole tables, although certainly it is an advantage to have the cow concentrate these properties. The family; that can not afford milk should make an effort to use as many of the green and yellow vegetables as, possible. Fortunately some of the best 1 greens soon can be had for picking. Unless all signs fail, there will be an abundance of dandelions this year. The roughage, the vitamines j the iron and the lime of vegetable j foods will do much to correct the deficiencies of the cheap bread and potato diet so much used as a source of energy. Children need milk, eggs and vegetables as well as the "filling” foods, which are being furnished more or less in abundance.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

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Uncle Sam is expert adviser on child care to mothers and their children, like those shown upper left and below, in even the most remote sections of the country. But the children's bureau, headed by Grace Abbott, upper right, now is faced with the possibility of operating upon a greatly reduced appropriation.

or Benny peddled dope, "punishment” was what everybody talked about and “justtice" was meted out as a preventive. Now cure is what is aimed at, not punishment. Physical and mental defects of children are investigated and the kind of homes they come from, their mental and personality problems are studied. More than 600 psychiatric and child guidance clinics are studying each little delinquent as a special problem and trying to help each one adjust himself to his environment so he will become a socially useful citizen w’hen he grows up. # * a WHEN Amy plays hooky' consistently, her home situation is looked into and she is not only put in classes that deal only with runaways, but her parents are given help in child guidance. In this age when many persons talk of the waning interest in American homes, the children's bureau stresses the fact that home life is a child's greatest need. In New York City alone more than *6,000.000 is spent annually in “mother's pensions,’’ “family aid" and other funds which allow a certain sum to help maintain the home and keep children in it rather than send to regimented, institutional orphans' homes. Last, but not least, the bureau has worked consistently for the protection of children from industrial exploitation. In conjunction with other organizations it is working to set 16 years as the age at which children can work, insisting that they must go to school until then. This year, faced by the depression and its attendant poverty, the bureau's work and responsibility has increased. President Hoover himself estimated that there are more than 6,000,000 children improperly nourished. Unemployment and lowwages threaten American childhood. Though handicapped by inadequate. funds to do its best work, the children's bureau launches its Advice Given Parents A child health center is a place where infants and children are examined and the parents given such advice as will keep the children well and guard against illness. The object of their work is to keep children well. A large majority of the centers follow their cases continuously. Their service is preventive and does not include treatment of disease.—American Child Health ‘ News.

twenty-first year with the high hopes of safeguarding America's young even more than it has before.

HHppr MOTHER! Take me to Block’s to have my photograph taken. They are having a special sale. Large, beautiful, protographs Size Bxlo 3 for $1.69 Regular *3.00 value. Biggest buy in town. I want to give you one for Mother's day, one for daddy for Fathers' day and one for grandma. No appointment necessary. Use your charge account. Expert baby photographer in charge. BLOCK’S—Balcony. BLOCK’S

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Baby Carriage Choice Is One of Importance Choice of a baby carriage is a matter of great importance. For ordinary use about the house, the carriage should be at least two feet from the ground. It should have room for the baby, with the necessary wrappings, either lying full length or sitting up. Its cover should be adjustable to protect him from the wind. The carriage should have strong, well-bal-anced springs, and should stand squarely on four wheels. If it is to be used for the little baby's outdoor naps, it should have a good full length mattress that will lie flat. The carriage should not be used for sleeping after the baby is too large to stretch out his full length in it. Asa baby is more cramped in a carriage than in a bed, he should be turned once or twice during a nap. He should not be sent out in a carriage in charge of a child or any one else not capable of judging the baby’s comfort. The carriage should be covered with a net to keep out flies and mosquitoes. For the baby who is old enough to sit up, a safety strap that fastens about his waist gives greater protection than the ordinary carriage strap. 7 Pounds Is Average Average weight of babies at birth is from seven to seven and onehalf pounds. Babies weighing only four or five pounds, however, often grow to be strong, robust children. Nine pounds is an unusual weight for a baby. Needs Plenty of Sleep A young baby sleeps eighteen or twenty hours out of twenty-four. At six months of age a baby sleeps about sixteen hours, at 1 year about fourteen hours, and at 2 years, at lease twelve hours. Most behavior problems start before the child enters school. The child must early be taught self-re-liance, and learning to dress himself is one lesson in this virtue — Hygeia.