S. W. NEWMAYSR, M. D. 227 



point, the feeding of the child No If a baby is well and is 

 being fed on cucumbers and fried sausage, so let the feeding 

 remain. However, if the baby is sick, all advice is not only 

 followed, but eagerly sought for. In fact, so eager is the mother 

 for advice that she changes plans sometimes three or more times 

 a day. I do not want to give the impression that I believe these 

 educational methods are valueless, but directing them toward 

 the well child is not profitable. Better results are obtainable in 

 health work by the trained nurse in the field than by the dis- 

 semination of literature. 



An opportunity for education, often overlooked, is the school 

 child. The "Care of Baby" taught to the older girl pupils by 

 lectures, exhibitions, textbooks, would have its ultimate good 

 effects. They are the potential mothers; they know they come 

 to school for instruction, and they learn and retain more readily 

 information which is novel and out of the ordinary. Philadel- 

 phia's experiences showed how intensely interested these pupils 

 were. 



Our school courses on hygiene should receive careful attention, 

 and from work along this line of endeavor much may be accom- 

 plished. 



Another potent means of education, and too often ignored, is 

 the public newspapers. We underrate their true value in cam- 

 paigns against infant mortality, or any other health problem. It 

 is surprising how often a mother says she did so and so because 

 she read about it in the newspaper. Again, by leaving the con- 

 struction of articles and stories bearing important advice, to a 

 reporter inexperienced in medical knowledge, in many cases, 

 some health officers who appreciate the value of the press, lose 

 the benefit that could be derived ; valuable advice is misstated or 

 important parts omitted. 



Every Health Department should have a Publicity Bureau, in 

 charge of which should be a competent editor, one capable of 

 writing news items on questions of public health in an interesting 

 style that would appeal to the public. He should have a working 

 knowledge of medical subjects, especially those which pertain 

 to questions of sanitation. Valuable advice, flavored with scien- 

 tific figures of investigation, is lost to the public. The same 

 advice, written in a popular breezy style, attains the object, 

 namely, the instruction of the people. The head of a Health 

 Department of a large city, engaged on executive duties requir- 

 ing his attention, can spare but little time to write articles for 

 newspapers. Newspapers eagerly seek for articles on public 

 health and medical questions. A glance at any daily newspaper 

 proves this assertion. The public is hungry for this kind of 



