Ada Estelle Schweitzer
Schweitzer's and her staff's educational outreach activities also helped change attitudes about child and maternal health.
She attended Lima High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State Normal College.
[2][3][4] Schweitzer began her career as a teacher, but became a public health advocate for women and infants after graduating from medical school in 1907.
[3][4] In 1919 Doctor Schweitzer was appointed director of the Indiana Board of Health's Division of Child and Infant Hygiene and served in that capacity until 1933.
Schweitzer toured Indiana in a truck that included additional equipment to project Magic lantern slides and screen films during her talks to local residents.
Schweitzer's work also included managing her staff, authoring articles, and supervising health assessments of young children in all of Indiana's ninety-two counties.
[9] The significant growth in Schweitzer's division in the early 1920s is attributed to the passage of the Sheppard–Towner Act (1921), which provided federal funding to states that offered maternal and infant-care programs.
[9][12] Sheppard-Towner Act funding ended in 1929 due to opposition from conservatives and medical organizations, including the AMA.
[3] When Indiana governor Paul V. McNutt took office in 1933, he reorganized the state government, which included dissolving the Division of Infant Hygiene and dismissing Schweitzer and her staff.
Schweitzer standardized the contest scoring using medical professionals for the examinations and streamlined the event so that it ran smoothly.
In an effort to eliminate rivalries and concerns from parents, Schweitzer asked the evaluators to make only minor deductions, resulting in each infant attaining a high score.
[15] The intent of the contest was to educate the public about raising healthier children; however, its exclusionary practices reinforced social class and racial discrimination.
Contestants were limited to white infants, while African American and immigrant children were barred from the competition for ribbons and cash prizes.
[3][16] Although the specific impact of the contests was difficult to assess, Schweitzer claimed that they helped to reduce infant morality.
[18] Schweitzer, a Republican, lost her state government job in 1933, after Paul V. McNutt, a Democrat, was elected governor of Indiana.
[19] Governor McNutt reorganized the state government, which included dissolving the Division of Infant Hygiene and dismissing Schweitzer and her staff.
[24] As a tireless, progressive crusader, Schweitzer's and her staff's efforts helped to change attitudes about child and maternal health in Indiana.
[15] In 1936 state legislation was passed to partially revive Schweitzer's division using Title V funds under the Social Security Act (1935).
