Search

Although the supplementary value of copper with iron as a necessary catalytic agent in the formation of hemoglobin in experimental animals is generally accepted, some investigators feel that this has not been proved satisfactorily for infants. Since we found that approximately 21 per cent of the infants brought to the child health centers of Madison, Wis., during the past year tended to become anemic during their first year of life, the problem of the most efficacious method of treating anemia seems to be one of utmost importance. This report compares the effect of iron alone as a therapeutic agent with that of iron supplemented with copper. In a recent paper, Elvehjem, Siemers and Mendenhall 1 showed that iron plus copper therapy caused an increase in the hemoglobin content of the blood from between 9 and 11 Gm. to 12 and 13.5 Gm. per hundred cubic centimeters. However, Mackay 2 reported

To the Editor .—We read the article, "Competence of Child Health Associates," by Machotka et al ( Am J Dis Child 125:199-203) with interest. At present the medical profession is under pressure to assure the public that all those who are involved in the delivery of health care are competent (defining competency as having the necessary cognitive, psychomotor, and affective abilities to perform the tasks assigned to an individual within the health care delivery system). To determine the cognitive competency of allied health professionals is, therefore, a highly desirable objective. However, it is essential that research intended to compare the knowledge of various groups of health professionals be as sound as that used in comparing the effectiveness of drugs or different diagnostic procedures. When the authors of the above paper state that their report "documents the extent, adequacy, and relevance of the child health associates' basic science training and knowledge of