Little Johnny Jones, to be born in the next year, is shown growing to a ripe, healthy old age, thanks to the efforts of his local public health officers. But without them, he might be one of the 5% or so that dies in the first year. The price for the public health service: about 3 cents a week. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.
Who knew that when this was made, almost 5% of American babies were thought not likely to survive past their first birthday? This was because of varying levels of local healthcare services and because so many pesky bugs have never been trained to wash their legs after drinking from sewage contaminated rivers! Well fortunately, our own young specimen “Johnny Jones” does make it past that particular terminus and despite a receding hairline (that miraculously appears to disappear as he grows older) continues to thrive thanks to eduction, hygiene, nutrition and all sorts cof other sensible advice from doctors, nurses and clinicians who can cost as little as 3c per day! Watch what you eat, take some exercise and a ripe old age, children and grandchildren could beckon - all it takes is a bit of responsibility and a population/government that is prepared to prioritise a functioning and accessible healthcare system. That’s all quite engagingly encapsulated into ten minutes of light-hearted animation that benefits from quite an amusing narration and doesn’t labour the message too thumpingly. It is probably something that could be shown now, seventy-odd years later, with just about the same degree of potency and emphasis on ensuring facilities are universally available.
