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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1916)
26 THE CHEM AW A AM ERICAN cared for. With the Indian it has seemed to be the idea that if a child was to live it would live, and if it was to die it would die anyway. Having been contract physician in this field (Cheyenne and Arapa hoe Agency) four years, I want to give my experience in this line. And the thing that impressed itself upon me as of first importance, was, and still is, to instill into their minds the idea of personal, paren tal responsibility. Not yet have the Indian mothers learned to dress the baby properly with regard to climatic conditions. Four years ago it was common to see little tots with only a cotton slip on, bare legged, toddling over the ground summer and winter (the idea being not to dress them, but to partly hide their nakedness), coughing, snuffing, sore-eyed, and dirty; and when I have been called to prescribe for it I was expected to as sume sole charge and responsibility for it. To teach the parents that the proper care of the child (clothing, cleanliness, good food, and giving of medicine as directed) was neces sary to its life and health, and that they individually, were responsible for these things, and so for its life, was the first, and to some extent the present, task. Some rebelled against it angrily, thinking that since the Government had charge of them and theirs, the Government doctor must also do all things for them. but gradually, little by little, there has come great improvement along this line. The little ones are being better cared for, better clothed, and more attention paid to giving them good food; though there is still too much ignorance as to what is best, and like some white folks the baby is given whatever it asks for, or seems to ask for; and when a doc tor is called there is more carelessness about giving the medicines. As a result of all this teaching there has been a very perceptible im provement in general health, and a decided lowering of the death rate, as the following statistics show: D u rin g th e first tw o years in th is field th e re w ere...............b irth s. . 29 A nd of c h ild ren u n d e r five y ears of age th e re w ere. . . .d eath s. . 19 D u rin g th e th ird year th e re w ere................................................ b irth s. . 12 D u rin g th e th ird year u n d e r five years th e re w e re ............... d eath s. . 8 D u rin g th e last (fo u rth ) year th e re w ere.................................. b irth s. . 12 D u rin g th e last (fo u rth ) year, th e re w ere.............................. d eath s. . 6 One of the last was killed by a kick from a horse, and one died from result of spina-bifida, and one from inherited syphilis. We have thus an increasingly hopeful outlook for the babies, and so for the Indians as a people.
