THE QUESTION OF CIRCUMCISION
It is wise to
consider ahead of time the question of circumcision if your baby turns out to
be a boy. Circumcision consists in cutting off the "sleeve" of skin
(foreskin) covering the penis, because this skin may encourage the collection
of a cheese like substance (smegma) that can cause irritation or infection. It
is a simple procedure in little babies. You may wish to have it done for
religious reasons, or you may prefer to wait and see whether the doctor
recommends it. If your doctor thin] it should be done, have it done early, as
soon as he suggest.
IMMUNIZATION
It
should go without saying that every child deserves to be immunized against the
dangerous diseases for which protective inoculations are now easily available.
And yet, even now, every year in this country many hundreds of lives are lost
because of such preventable diseases as small- pox, diphtheria, tetanus, and
measles. Your family doctor or pediatrician can provide these injections. They
are also available free, or at very little cost, so lack of money must not keep
any child from having protection.
Any hospital, public health department, court
or health officer can provide information about this. Beginning at about the
age of two months, your baby's physician will want to undertake an inoculation
program. Today, in addition to such protective shots as those for diphtheria,
whooping cough, tetanus, small- pox, and typhoid fever, which have been
available for many years, there are equally valuable newer' ones-basic new
triumphs of preventive medicine-including inoculations for polio, mumps,
measles, and German measles.
Still others are under development and new methods of
administering vaccines, of combining many of them, for the convenience of child
and parents are constantly being worked out. Your physician, aware of this and
following the guidance of official bodies such as the American Academy of
Pediatrics, will make available the latest and most effective and convenient
inoculation program. By all means, follow his advice.
