Making Better Babies: Public Health and Race Betterment in Indiana, 1920-1935

In 1920, Indiana's Division of Infant and Child Hygiene inaugurated its first Better Babies Contest at the state fair. For the next 12 years, these contests were the centerpiece of a dynamic infant and maternal welfare program that took shape in Indiana during the decade of the federal Sheppard...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of public health (1971) 2002-05, Vol.92 (5), p.742-752
Main Author: Stern, Alexandra Minna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Babies
Biological and medical sciences
Child welfare
Child Welfare - history
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Contests
Development
Eugenics - history
Genetic engineering
Government Programs - history
Health Education - history
History
History, 20th Century
Humans
Hygiene
Hygiene - history
Indiana
Infant
Infant mortality
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Mothers
Nurses
Prejudice
Public health
Public Health Administration - history
Public Health Then and Now
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Racial aspects
Rural Health - history
Social conditions & trends
USA
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In 1920, Indiana's Division of Infant and Child Hygiene inaugurated its first Better Babies Contest at the state fair. For the next 12 years, these contests were the centerpiece of a dynamic infant and maternal welfare program that took shape in Indiana during the decade of the federal Sheppard-Towner act. More than just a lively spectacle for fairgoers, these contests brought public health, "race betterment," and animal breeding together in a unique manner. This article describes one of the most popular expressions of public health and race betterment in rural America. It also raises questions about the intersections between hereditarian and medical conceptions of human improvement during the early 20th century, especially with respect to child breeding and rearing.
ISSN:0090-0036
1541-0048
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.92.5.742