American Red Cross
<h4><a href="https://vmps.omeka.net/exhibits/show/public-health-healthcare-galle/public-health-healthcare-galle">Return to Public Health and Healthcare</a></h4>
After World War I, the Red Cross became involved with a variety of public health programs. In 1921, for example, they began offering nutrition courses which helped educate people on healthy eating and proper food preparation. Classes on sanitation, home nursing, and infant care were also introduced.
American Red Cross
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/%22Learn_to_keep_your_family_strong_%26_healthy_Join_a_Red_Cross_nutrition_class%22_-_NARA_-_514847.jpg
National Archives
1941-1945
American Red Cross
This poster is an advertisement for a Red Cross nutrition class. The weightlifter, made out of food (e.g., potatoes), lifts a barbell of oranges. <br /><br />Source: <a href="https://www.redcross.org/about-us/who-we-are/history.html">http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/20-39_b.asp</a>
Link: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Learn_to_keep_your_family_strong_%26_healthy_Join_a_Red_Cross_nutrition_class%22_-_NARA_-_514847.jpg">The National Archives </a>
Medium: Poster
English
Organizations
American RedCross, RedCross, Public Health, Nutrition, Sanitation, Home Nursing, Infant Care
United States
Expecting? Get the Right Advice from the Right Sources
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Posters from the Works Progress Administration often focused on public health. This poster focuses on infant care, which was a particularly popular topic. An eye-catching stork graphic encourages expectant mothers to consult their doctor or health bureau for advice.
Established in 1935, as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal programs, the Works Progress Administration was created as a relief measure. Through a variety of programs, such as construction and reforestation, it offered work to the unemployed. By the time the project was terminated in 1943, it had provided work for more than 8,500,000 people on 1,410,000 projects. Over 650,000 miles of roads were built, and thousands of bridges, parks, and public buildings were repaired.
The Federal Arts Project was a special program under the WPA, which allowed thousands of otherwise unemployed artists to decorate businesses with their work. They created more than 2,500 murals and 17,500 pieces of sculpture all over the United States. Over 2,000 posters were also created, which addressed issues such as education and public health, reflecting the state of the nation during World War II. This program paved the way for both the National Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project
https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/38300/38337r.jpg
Library of Congress
September 2nd, 1938
Library of Congress
Sources: The Works Progress Administration. (n.d.) Public Broadcasting Service:American Experience. Retrieved Oct 5, 2012 from <a href="http://to.pbs.org/NE38wq">http://to.pbs.org/NE38wq</a>
The Works Projects Administration in Indiana. (n.d.) Indiana University : Lily Library's History Collections. Retrieved Oct 5, 2012 from <a href="http://bit.ly/9dc7HB">http://bit.ly/9dc7HB</a><br /><br />Link: <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98513524/">Library of Congress</a>
Medium: Poster
English
Poster
WPA, Posters, Infant Care, Public Health, FDR, Federal Arts Project
United States
Virginia Apgar - Public Heath Pioneer
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000000;">Dr. Virginia Apgar examining an infant with a stethoscope.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000000;">Born in 1909, Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) defied social conventions at a young age. She was one of the first women to ever attend medical school, graduating from Columbia University despite the economic struggles of Great Depression. She originally intended to pursue surgery, but women were not allowed to enter the profession at that time. Instead, Apgar turned to anesthesiology, where she helped the practice develop into a specialty. In particular, she researched the effects and usage of anesthesia in childbirth, and became Columbia’s first female full professor.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000000;">Her biggest contribution to the world of medicine came with the development of the Apgar score. This system was designed to measure and rate the pulse, breathing rate, reflexes, color, and muscle tone of newborn babies. A critical process of evaluation, it continues to save countless lives today.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000000;">When she was 50 years old, Virginia Apgar earned a master’s degree in public health, traveling with the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (March of Dimes) to raise money and awareness.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000000;">Not only is she recognized for her medical contributions, but she also played an important role for women wishing to enter the medical field.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000000;"> </span></p>
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Al Ravenna, World Journal Tribune
https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c30000/3c31000/3c31500/3c31540r.jpg
Library of Congress
October 2nd, 1966
Library of Congress
Dr. Virginia Apgar examining an infant with a stethoscope. <br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/apgar_hi.html">Virginia Apgar</a>. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved October 12, 2012
Link: <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002712240/">Library of Congress</a>
Medium: Photograph
English
Figures
Virginia Apgar, Women, Apgar Score, Public Health, Infant Care
Historic