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Children's Bureau, Washington. -- The movement for the prevention of blindness among infants has been definitely advanced as a result of the interest and active efforts on the part of the staff of the Children's Bureau at Washington. The Bureau has included in its Bulletin on "Prenatal Care," instructions concerning the care of the eyes of new-born infants, already advocated by this Committee.

In addition to this, the Bureau is publishing a pamphlet describing the opportunities for co-operation with various organizations engaged in infant welfare work, which will include a description of this Committee's exhibits, lantern slides, leaflets and written popular lectures on the safeguarding of infant eyesight; while the Committee's digest of laws relating to the control of infantile blindness and midwives is to be included in another publication of the Bureau.

Women's Clubs. -- A circular entitled "What Women's Clubs and Nursing Organizations Can Do To Prevent Blindness," signed by Mrs. Ella Blair, Chairman of the Public Health Committee of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and myself, as Chairman of the Committee on Prevention of Blindness and Midwives of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing, contains suggestions for organized work concerning babies' sore eyes, midwives, the eyes of school children, industrial accidents and wood alcohol. This circular was prepared because of frequent requests received from nursing organizations, women's clubs and others, for suggestions in organizing and developing prevention of blindness work.

This circular has been published in the Bulletin of the General Federation, which goes to club women throughout the country, and has also been sent to the Section Chairman and Public Health Leaders of the Federation in all the states -- with the additional information that literature, exhibits, lantern slides, etc., may be secured from the Committee for the Prevention of Blindness. Women's Clubs are being urged to take up practical work as outlined in the circular, and to include prevention of blindness on the programs of their meetings during the coming year. The circular has been widely reprinted and commented upon in medical, nursing and sociological journals.

Nursing Organizations. -- During the annual meetings of the three national nursing organizations, held in San Francisco during June, 1915, representatives to serve as Advisory Members of the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness were appointed as follows:

American Nurses Association -- Miss Estaiene M. De Peltquestagne, Massillon, Ohio.

National League for Nursing Education -- Miss Lila Pickhardt, Superintendent Pasadena Hospital, Pasadena, California.

National Organization for Public Health Nursing -- Miss Ella P. Crandall, Secretary.

The Committee on Prevention of Blindness of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing was reappointed for the third year, with myself as Chairman, in which capacity I presided in San Francisco at one of the joint sessions of the three national nursing bodies.

The work of the Committee of nurses during the past two years has consisted almost entirely of efforts to arouse the interest of the nursing profession in prevention of blindness work, and to convince its members of the opportunities for service in this field. The progress which has been made in this direction was apparent during the San Francisco meetings, where, not alone at the meetings themselves but during many informal conferences, methods of work were discussed so generally as to indicate that the nurses now recognize prevention of blindness and control of midwives as a phase of public health nursing.

EDUCATION

Probably the most important part of the Committee's work with which I have been concerned has been the educational campaign upon the various causes of avertible blindness and visual impairment and methods of prevention. A very large part of this educational work has been done through the medium of correspondence, while other channels have been magazine article press notices, lectures and addresses, photographic exhibits, lantern slides, preparation and distribution of publications.

Correspondence. -- The correspondence has been with worker in various parts of the country concerning existing statutes in some states and contemplated legislation in others, model birth certificates, methods of enforcing existing laws, organization of local work, preparation for meetings, preparation of lantern slides and exhibits, various kinds of information which would be helpful to local workers, the supplying of material for publications to be issued by other organizations, and the distribution of our own leaflets and pamphlets.

These requests come from health officers, physicians, nurses settlement workers, women's clubs, university professors, librarians, and many others.

Publicity Through Publication. -- As Editor of the Department of Prevention of Blindness and Midwives of the "Modern Hospital," I have secured the publication of ten articles on prevention of blindness and midwives.

A long newspaper article, sent out through the Survey Press Service, appeared in a large number of papers throughout the country, while an article on babies' sore eyes appeared in the October 9th issue of the Survey, and one on wood alcohol in the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing.

News items, editorial comment, quotations from the Committee's reports appear frequently in the daily newspapers, nursing, medical and public health journals, while photographs and information have been supplied for articles and press notices to a number of magazine writers and newspaper reporters.

Photographs and Exhibits. -- The Committee has loaned exhibits to individual workers and organizations in ten states, while exhibits and exhibit material have been sold to six important associations.

Lantern Slides. -- The Committee has re-catalogued and added to its lantern slides, which now number nearly 350 titles, and prepared a complete inventory of its slides under the following headings:

Babies' Sore Eyes; Midwives; Trachoma; Industrial Accidents; Wood Alcohol; Illumination; Eyes of School Children; General Care of the Eyes; General Accidents.

Our lantern slides have been quite widely used.

Publications. -- The New York State Committee for the Prevention of Blindness issued the following publication:

The National Committee has issued five new publications as follows:

Reprints of articles on prevention of blindness or midwifery have been secured as follows:

Publications have been distributed by the National Committee, as follows:

Large numbers of publications have been sold by the National Committee as follows:

Large numbers of the Committee's publications have been sent, upon request, to

Respectfully submitted,
CAROLYN C. VAN BLARCOM,
Secretary.
October 29, 1915.