Physical Deterioration, Its Causes and the Cure (Classic Reprint) (Paperback) | Released: 14 Oct 2018

Excerpt from Physical Deterioration, Its Causes and the Cure

IN the following pages I have brought together the main facts concerning the causes of physical deterioration which have long been recognised by those acquainted with the people of slums, and to which recent recruiting statistics have called public attention.

The chief causes producing the physical unfit ness proved to exist are, the crowding of the population into towns, where the housing and general conditions of life are unfavourable to the healthy growth of children; the deplorable effect on infant health of the neglect of sanitary pre cautions with regard to the milk supply; the inadequate individual attention given in most elementary schools to the physical training of the children compelled to attend them; the very general failure to give to girls in the schools instruction in hygiene, domestic economy, and the management of infants and the want of reason able opportunities for healthy recreation.

In the study of the causes of these evils, remedies naturally suggest themselves.

While public interest has been aroused in children when at school, scant attention has been given to the infinitely more important question of the first two or three years of child life. Wise feeding and care up to the age of say three years will give any child, not constitutionally unsound, a good start in life whereas the evil consequences of ignorant management during those early years will never be overcome. The prevailing ignorance of mothers in the feeding and care of infants should be combated. As future mothers, all school-girls should receive intelligent instruction in the care of infants, hygiene, and cooking.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.