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Show 18 COMMIWIONEB OP INDIAN AFFAIRS. of her offspring. To this end emphasis has been laid upon the necessity of bringing every poasible case of confinement to the agency hospitals for the lying-in period. This policy has resulted not only in giving the mother requisite imtmction in the care of herself and her child but has given to many Indian children a start in life that would have been impossible had their birth been con-summated under the old unhygienic environmenbs. Herewith find my letter to a superintendent of one of the Indian reservations in response to his report on an Indian fair in which the baby show was emphasized: - I have your letter reporting the Indian fair, in which you make particular refer-ence to your baby show, inclosing photographs of the very interesting Indian babies exhibited. It is gratirying to learn that the baby show was the moat a t t r d v e feature of your fair and that the Indiana were greatly interested, not only in the contest between babies, but especially es you gay: "I believe the physjcal examination of these babies, which waa eloaely watched by the mothers, was as much an item of education to them as anything that has happened in many a day. * * The examinations were far more than a superficial o b m t i o n of the general appearance of the children. Notea were taken of irregularities and deficiencies. It gnve the physician, nurse, and field matron an excellent chance for nome very good advice to these mothers in a way they will remember ea long as they live." This irr fine and indicates intelligent and commendable activity on the part cf vourself. the nhvaician, field matron. and nurae. which I ereatlv annreeiate. HOB- I , .. " . * * ever, a baby show is apt to be r&ed as a display of babien and not taken ea seri-ously by the Indians and em~loyeena s I desire. It is my. .pu rp.rm e in our health cam-pai& utilize the baby ahow-as an object lesson that may be the means of help-fulness in extending our work into every home of the reservation. I am determined to leave no stone untumed to accomplish the bent resulte obtainable, and this requires a vigorous campaign. It is not sufficient to talk about these things at the agency, but it is incumbent upon us all to see that employees properly aasaciated with this work make unceasing effort to improve health conditions not only in aaving the baby but quite ss much to restore the constitution and improve the health of the adult Indian. It involven sanitation and ventilation of the homes; cleanliness not only of houw and surroundings but of the peraon and proper food for the child. It requires the instilling of respect for the phywician, the nurse, the field matron, and the hospital, and with it the elimination of the medicine man. I am particularly anxiow that our hospitals &all be used for mothers in childbirth. Jt is my great deaire that every Indian mother not otherwise well provided for ahall find a place and proper care at this critical period in her life in a hospital. Every Indian homitd bed not neceaaarilv accu~ied bv those suffering from acute disease or serious ihjury should be available for mothers in childbirth.. All of these thine"8 can be brou-eh t about only throue- h oo-r psniaed, a.w.e esive, and continuous activity. Perhaps the most pr&g feature of our campaign is sanitation. The tirat thing to be done is to see that every Indian home and ite immediate surroudhga are thor-oughly cleaned up and kept in a sanitary condition. Thin is an absolutely necessary accomplishment. In effecting aanitation, do not w e tha t conditions are aatis factory because you find s tidy appearance. f hile there is apt to be such harmony, |