Focus on child health in the tropics

In developing countries, infant and child morbidity and mortality are high and there is evidence that attention to the child health has lagged behind development of other medical services. The causes of this are examined and reasons are given why this neglect of child health should be corrected. Medicine should more logically be divided into "individual" and "mass" rather than "preventive" and "curative". Child welfare should not be separated from curative services; it is through treatment of sick children that parents will learn confidence in preventive measures. The subject of nutrition is of the greatest importance, and long-term observations by clinicians are necessary to determine whether it is due primarily to food shortage, to ignorance or to other diseases. The health of the mother is essential to the welfare of the child. More attention should be devoted to the training of local ancillary medical staff and to the subjects of pediatrics, nutrition and domestic hygiene. Medical education both in metropolitan and overseas territories should pay more attention to these subjects and to the need for health education of the people. Research should be guided into more practical channels. Each territory should appoint an advisor on maternal child health. (Summary)