Child hygiene / by S. Josephine Baker.

  • Sara Josephine Baker
Date:
[1925]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Child hygiene / by S. Josephine Baker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and death may be obtained from the local official who is in charge of the registration of births and deaths. It may, however, be necessary to make visits to each individual home in which a death has occurred in order to obtain the essential data regarding the character and duration of the fatal illness. Surveys to determine race groupings, congestion of popu¬ lation, localities in which sickness or death in infancy or childhood occurs most frequently, the location of parks and playgrounds and other recreational facilities, the opportuni¬ ties for clean and decent living and other factors relating to child welfare, will readily suggest themselves. Question¬ naires should be made out for each type of information that is sought. While the character of the information obtained may be more accurate if it comes through the medium of trained workers, we must consider the value of an informed public opinion as being so great that the stimulation of it probably outweighs all other considerations. Therefore, the use of volunteer workers in making such surveys will be found of extreme value. Their findings can be checked up later, but the general trend of information will be found sufficiently sound to be used as a basis for proceeding further. The fact that a large group of citi¬ zens have become interested in the problems of child health as they are occurring in their own community is the most valuable foundation upon which to build a sound program for correcting any wrong conditions that may exist. Only by means of this public opinion can sufficient funds be ob¬ tained and only with the backing of public opinion can the work be carried on successfully. Use of Charts, Graphs, and Pin Maps.—Information, however valuable it may seem, is of little use for com¬ munity purposes unless it can be visualized. In order to visualize statistics it is necessary to present them in such form that they may be readily understood and attract atten¬ tion. Tables of figures are dull reading and few people are willing to take the trouble to understand them. Vivid repre¬ sentation of these facts, however, is an easy matter. The
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