Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-25
DEBILITY I'm CHILDREN.
Mfsehiefs of Overfaxing Children In |
SchOOl-Dfsease and Death.

Misehiefs of Overtaxing Children 4
schOOl-Disease and Death.
AT the recent meeting of the Wi:
consin State Medical Society
paper was read by DR.. Waterhoust
of Portage City, on the subject G
Debility in Children, especially wit
reference to the evils of overtaxin
children in our schools, the facts an
suggestions of which were deeme,
SO valuable that a resolution wa
adopted requesting its general pub
lication by the press, for whicl
purpose it has been revised by th,
author. We copy a few passages
"In our common schools of the
present day-everywhere, but more
especially in cities and the larger
villages, where the best teachers are
sought and generally obtained :
every inducement, every incentive
that can be devised and brought tC
bear to stimulate and encourage
study is faithfully and persistently
applied. The consequence is that
many of our brightest and best
children of from six to eight years
OF age are performing more study,
more mental labor, than most OF
the business men, or more than
their teachers. | am aware that
many children are sluggish in tenn
permanent, and will bear and seem
to require great urging to get them
to learn; yet, with many of this
class, it is their rapid growth that
takes away their energy, and even
ability to study; and, consequently,
you must fail to get them to learn
much until they cease to grow SO
rapidly; or, if you succeed in getting
study out of them, you induce ane-
mia. What else can you expect !?
You cannot get more from the blood
than there is in it; and since the
blood must supply nourishment to
the brain and the body and all its
organs, for their growth, besides
repairing the waste of all their ex-
ertions, it follows that whenever
you tax that fluid beyond it's in
come, an9mia is the result.
"For the purpose of illustrating
this matter more perfectly than l
could otherwise do, l describe the
case of a bright, intelligent girl of
about twelve years Of age, of good
form and of previous good health,
who began early in January last to
decline in health and strength. She
had cold feet and hands, weak
pulse, universal paleness of the skin;
the lips and tongue were absolutely
white, with dizziness on rising from
q recumbent posture, swelling of
the feet in the after part of the day,
the effect of gravitation. The
blood vessels, being too weak to
carry the blood upward, or even
support for any length of time the
column of watery blood in the up
right posture, it naturally gravl"
tated away from the head to the
feet. She had constipation, palpi-
tation of the heart upon slight ex"
ertion, and general muscular pros
tration. Upon questioning the
parents as to the history of the case,
it appeared that she had been at
tending school from the beginning
of the winter term, had studied
hard, and learned well, in all the
branches usual y taught in the city
high school, and showing good
qualities in music, she had pressed
forward rapidly in that; and, in
addition, she was good reader, and
had been in the habit of reading,
after her lessons in music and other
wise, books and papers al Hbitum.
After a careful scrutiny of the case,
and finding no local disease, nor
other rational cause for the
L caLe to the conclusion
that it was from overtaxing the
brain. She was accordingly taken
from school, and her music and
reading considerably restricted.
Gave her preparations of iron, and
she rapidly Improved and finally
recovered.
"Another girl of about ten years
of age, a sprightly, brilliant child
of high-wrOught, nervous tempera-
ment, of good form and Of previous
good health, began about two
years ago to have commissions or
ep,leptilorm spasms. The child was
school and learning fast,
indeed excelling most Of the other
children of her age. On examina-
ton there appeared Indigestion and
moderate an9mia, with functional
torpidity of the liver and bowels.
The commissions were controlled by
chloroform, oil of turpentine, oil of
amber, etc, and the child taken
from school, and no further trouble
occurred until the next term OF
school, when indigestion came on
and she again had commissions,
which were contracted as before;
but, owing to the entreaties of the
child, she was allowed to continue
in school; and, Notwithstanding the
most careful regulation Of diet and
the administration of tOniCs, the
commissions continued from week
to week until she was removed
from school, and her study and
reading restricted, when the con-
vuIsions ceased; and since that
time, at each recurring term Of
school, the child has been allowed
to attempt to study, and at each
time had return of indigestion and
commissions.
"Another of about twelve years
of age, of lively, nervous tempera-
ment, rather tall, and of delicate
frame and constitution, became,
during each school term, more or
less angmic; had Indigestion with
all its usual concOmitants, and, in
addition, developed chorea (St.
Vitus' Dance). This child, on be-