THE COMMITTEE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF CHILD HEALTH

Abstract

It seems to me that it is best this afternoon that I do not simply read to you the formal report of the Committee for Improvement of Child Health, since that has already been submitted to the Executive Board of the American Academy of Pediatrics, accepted by it, and will soon be published. I would rather spend this time to develop further the ideas that are stated there. I believe that whatever I say will represent the general consensus of the members of the Committee, but the formal expression of their views I leave, as I have said, to the printed report, and only I am responsible for the details of this afternoon's report.

As information resulting from the Academy's Study of Child Health Services became available, and as we grew in our understanding of the problems involved, it became more and more apparent that this work of the Academy concerned with the health of our nation's children could not stop with the end of the survey without great loss, particularly to the Academy itself. It was clear that the Academy was being projected into a position of great influence and authority because of the completeness and uniqueness of the information which it had gathered, but that this position of authority, with the influence it might give us towards directing future activities regarding child health in this country, could soon be lost.

Information such as we have obtained becomes quickly obsolete. Changes are going on constantly in our dynamic nation, and in a very short time any opinion which we might have based on this survey could be considered out-dated. It was apparent also that the demand for assistance by various organizations having common purposes with our own, the demand for technical and professional advice, would be greatly increased by the gradual dissemination of knowledge that would result from the survey and that we would be constantly approached for advice and for assistance, especially in the field of medical education with which the survey dealt most importantly.

This idea was transmitted to the Executive Board. The result was ultimately the formation of the Committee for Improvement of Child Health.