| Show WHAT to EAT EA T and WHY are your children eating clean food asks C d H houston 0 uston goudiss points out hazards of neglected hand washing by C HOUSTON GOUDISS it I 1 I 1 dofred DO feed my johnny correctly a young ayoung mother said to I 1 me not long ago ilive 1 give him elm milk an and deggs eggs and vegetables tableland table sand and fruits and still he has would you mind telling me J just usi how youl you reconcile that with all this talk about our newer knowledge of nutrition and how it helps children ao to have better health 1 I dont know I 1 answered but 4 I 1 wonder jf if it would be convenient for meto me to meet John johnny johnnye nyk certainly she re replied plied hell be home from school in et a few moments ahe usually stops at the school playground for an an hour or two to play 1 d dodge 0 dge ball with the other boys A mentor mo two later johnny appeared and a more grimy little lad I 1 had seldom seen certainly I 1 not outside of a neighborhood such as we sometimes describe as under privileged privilege eged dl I 1 johnnys johnny ls hands were dirty his face was dirty his knees and legs were streaked with mud there was a lollypop lollipop lolly pop in his mouth though he quickly pulled palled it out oat when his mother made the introduction 1 I could not refuse his hand when h he e put it forth in a gentl gentlemanly emanley gesture though I 1 noted that some of its visible soil and doubtless some unseen germs we were IS transferred to my own hand during the greeting no soon sooner r hid had we unclasped hands than i a tremendous sneeze all but engulfed johnny and in iii spite spi teof of his almost adult mannar manner at meeting a stranger he had not learned to cover his nose and mouth during a sneeze sneeze the lolly pop was sprayed with moisture and germs two seconds later the child put the lollypop lollipop lolly pop back in his mouth and continued sucking it and yet his mother could not understand der stand why he had colds I 1 contaminated food I 1 have pointed out many times that in my opinion a mothers foremost responsibility isto Is to feed her children a diet that takes into account all the recent amazing discoveries of nutritional science only by so doing can she hope to give them a sturdy body with straight bones strong responsive muscles a good circulation and sound healthy nerves but the parent who permits permit sher her offspring to eat with unwashed hands and thus ahus take countless germs into his body with every mouthful of food is scarcely giving that food a chance to build the kind of body and brain every mother desires for her child on the contrary s she he is risking the dan dau gerof gra grave e illness F for or the microorganisms micro organisms which cause 92 out of every deaths from communicable muni cable diseases enter or leave the body through the mouth or nose health linked to cleanliness all of us have heard the expression cleanliness is next to godliness though to observe some of our school children eating their I 1 lunches un ches one might have reason to believe that both mothers and school boards have forgotten this old copybook copy book maxim 1 butlin but it bears remembering every day I 1 and all day danfor 7 for the writer who said that soap and civilization go hand i in hand was not inot far from the truth certainly soap and wa ter cleanliness and good health are inseparably linked and habits of personal cleanliness are a vital atal factor in safeguarding children against infections Infection sand and disease we often compare a correct diet to the bricks with which a well cons constructed building Is erected but it food represents the bricks with which the edifice of health is built surely cleanliness Is the mortar keeping Eyer everlastingly lastingly at it i most babies ba bles are kept clean by their mothers because mothers know that ahat they cannot keep their babies well nellif lif if they do not keep them clean if the sarrie same careful policy were followed in later childhood it is almost certain that there would be less illness among child children reh ll 11 unfortunately many maib mothers ers relax rela r their vigilance the mome moment at their child Is ready for school in some cases they believe believe that he child has had bad sufficient ng and nd can be relied upon in other instances they bel believe levio or r hope that further training will be supplied by the school A mothers job but the mere fact thaia child is old enough to goto go to school does riot not make him less of a child nor nordnes does it I 1 make his hid mother less lesi of a teacher and guardian on the contrary it multiplies h her r responsibilities I 1 more than ever the child needs careful supervision of his health habits fo for r now he is in dally daily contact with countless other youngsters from many types of homes more chances to pick up gerasi germs I 1 more chances to disseminate germs should he bi be permitted to ia go to school with the anif feesl blest mothers must increase not decrease their vigilance they must assume responsibility for the observance ser yance of all the ahe habits that safeguard health these include the dally bath the dally daily change Int into oclean clean clothing the frequent washing of the hands and always before eating the twice dally daily brushing of the teeth regular elimination regular hours tor for meals and the necessary hours for outdoor play and for sleep |
