Every year in the developing countries of the world, some 14 million children under the age of five die of common infectious diseases. Most of these children could be saved by simple, inexpensive, preventative medicine. Many public health officials argue that it is as immoral and unethical to allow children to die of easily preventable diseases as it would be to allow them to starve to death or to be murdered. In 1986, the United Nations announced a worldwide campaign to prevent unnecessary child deaths. Called the "child survival revolution," this campaign is based on four principles, designated by the acronym GOBI.

"G" stands for growth monitoring. A healthy child is considered a growing child. Underweight children are much more susceptible to infectious diseases, retardation, and other medical problems than children who are better nourished. Regular growth monitoring is the first step in health maintenance.

"O...