1 Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York 14642
I am responding to Dr. Yankauer's commentary in the August 1973 issue of Pediatrics. Dr. Yankauer's questioning of the effectiveness of well child visits is provocative and timely. I would also agree with his suggestion that a study be done to determine if the number of well child visits can be reduced without compromising the observable benefits of health supervision. I suspect such a study will show no difference between experimental and control groups in such health indexes as immunization status, number of illness visits, number of treatable defects detected, and measures of weight, height, and hemoglobin.