Document qdZNeqBO9e6gQ2zvZzrBDDJdM

casonc lead poxscamB opr ihpasuj asdt " : EARL3T CHILDSOOD C tavaia lo a d p a ls acting 0 6 2 ^ '& "o&ro frequ en tly ' e g intofeirr.; :' children than has been g en e ra lly supposed* .ifc jiw M bs^i'nter&Vj.' 'tan in' both n o rtilrtiiy ::^ records b u f f e r lb s fastr"*5-^ e condition is often unrecofyiiaed by physicians. This conclusion ' upca an inquiry re c e n tly nnda by the Metropolitan L ife Insurance 3nong a nunfaer of procrinent p e d ia trists* Large nucbers o f such auong children were disclosed in the practice o f these doctors* t; The cost iniorning re p ly to the Company's le t t e r s was that o f a iohysicinn who stated that f i f t y cases o f lead poisoning In ciiildren en acen in a sin g le Bor,ten h o sp ita l during the la s t si:-: years, that nijncnia in these cones r;n3 "proven beyond a doubt" and that the lead on ingested, fo r the : x s t p art, an the resu lt of chewing paint iron ivnoodnor': or toys Several p e d ia trists reported th at th ey had demonsf conclusive!:.' that lead nip-.-lc sh ield s r.rJ .load oir.tnenta on the breasts there, who were suckling young in fa n ts, v.-crc responsible fo r lead poison|hich had nen and then proved f a t a l . A -.ajority of the p e d istrirto idiot chronic lead ".oinsnin.-; in infancy snei childhood i s by no neana a condition, and almost a l l believed that wide p u b lic ity should be given fa ct through the press hr the "popular" lite ra tu re of health depnrt- 3 and p rivate health agencies, with sp ecia l in sisten ce upon the dangers_ rent in crib s and to ys sainted with 'n t e r la l w!u.ch contains lea d . One correspondent stated fciiat he had :iadc i t 3 p ractice over a period en ty-five years to -.-am parents about th-. danger o f children developing point-eating habit, and another doctor wrote tin t he fotnd in te llig e n t ts fearfu l of wet paint but oblivious to the congers of dry pain t. Lend poisen i s a r e a l source o f danger to in fan ts and young children, ' education of parents concerning tiiis harord would be a d e fin ite , fornard p in public .be31eh education. Lead poisoning i s ra re ly thought of 03 a ne of illn e s s in in fan ts and ch ild ren . Private ph'.'sician s having a gen- p rocticc should consider more frequently the p o s s ib ilit y that th ey ray dealing with tiiis serious disease. Metropolitan Life Insurance Coopery S ta tistica l Bulletin, October, 1930.