DR. CHAS. A. HODGETTS' PAPER 57 



If one may judge from the amount of money spent, 

 it would appear that the Federal Government has 

 shown, up to the present time, a greater appreciation 

 of agriculture, immigration and the maintenance of a 

 militia than it has of the care of its people. Canada 

 has spent since Confederation some 80 million dollars 

 for militia and defence, 16 million for immigration, and 

 1 5 million for agriculture, while not a dollar has been 

 directly spent along lines having for their object the 

 saving of the lives of our infant population. It is 

 argued by some politicians that this is a question solely 

 within the jurisdiction of the several provinces, but 

 that which concerns our most valuable asset is, and 

 must be, worthy of some national effort, particularly 

 when that same Government has assumed the duty of 

 the provinces in the oversight of live stock. The 

 method adopted, as well as the money spent, for this 

 work has been good for the farmer's hog and the pig 

 pen, but surely the infant is worth more and is more 

 worthy of consideration and protection. The en- 

 nobling of Canadian motherhood, the fostering of 

 parentalism, spells greater wealth to the young 

 country and to the nation than many of the gew- 

 gaws with which the politicians hypnotize the people. 



Few, if any, realize the great possibilities which lie 

 before the sanitarian in the home, which field of work 

 is as yet almost untouched. The hidden wealth con- 

 tained within the cubical contents of what, under 

 modern housing conditions, we are pleased to desig- 

 nate "a home," cannot be over-estimated, especially 

 when we consider all that "a healthy home" means 

 to a nation. 



The subject is presented for the purpose of direct- 

 ing the attention of governments and municipalities to 

 the inestimable benefits which will accrue if they will 

 avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by health 

 departments to prevent the present unnecessary waste 

 in infant and child life. In the marked activity found 



