Medicine: Child Health Day

Proclaiming May 1 Child Health Day, Franklin Roosevelt told all communities to see that “children over nine months of age be immunized against diphtheria and smallpox, the two diseases for which we have the surest means of prevention.” Reasons for mass immunization: 1) last year 16,000 non-immunized U.S. moppets and adults came down with diphtheria, 1,300 non-vaccinated citizens with smallpox; 2) serious epidemics may flare up in crowded defense areas.