Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-04-29


healthy one, but often tends to stead
J lily increasing disorganization of the
coats of the eye, producing partial ol
total blindness in the end.
Thus is our authors motto justified
As tn his observations, they are truly
Invaluable, as being really the first OF
/ the kind which have been alike wide IN
this range. ample in number, and min
utely careful in each instance. He has
examined five schools of low grade in
the village of Langinbieula, near Bres-
lau. and twenty-eight schools-oi six
orders-in the latter city. The ages OF
the 10000 pupils varied from seven 10
twenty-five years. The examination
was conducted during the winter term
of 1866, with all the appliances known
to modern science for obtaining trust
worthy results. The mode of eXamina-
tion was as follows: Every scholar was
hidden to stand in a good light, and
read from a sheet printed for the espec-
ial purposes of this test; the type being
at distance of four feet from his eyes.
Those who could not read rapidly from
this sheet were noted, as deficient in
visual power. Each one thus noted as
deficient was then subjected to thor
ough examination by the means of
glasses and the opthalmoscope in the
hands of DR.. COhn, himself. The result
of this examination gave the surprising
total of ,730 children-over II per cent.
of all eXamined-as more or less def
cient in sight. We will give rapid
summary of a few of the principal
results.
The number of children with defect
i've vision increases steadily, through
seven grades of schools, from per cent.
in the lowest grade TO 31'7 per cent. in
the highest. This large proportion,
nearly one-third in the highest, is not
accidental, for it is obtained from an eN-
animation of two gymnasia answering
to our American ''colleges'' containing
l, ,l95 papils. The proportion in the city
schools Is nearly four times as great as
in the country schools. OF the 1,73O
with defective vision, ! ,004 were near
sighted, very trif1ing cases Of the affec-
ton not being included.
No school was without myopic Il. e.,
r-sighted) scholars. The village
schools, on the average, had IA per
cent; the city schools eight times as
many 11.4 per cent?. In the city there
was Il constant increase in the number
of myopes from the lowest grade of
school up to the highest; /. g., 81 per
cent. up to 26'2 per cent. III the two
upper classes of the gynndSid, lis were
ntar-sighted,. against about l36 who
were not SOL AS to age, among the
pupils in the village schools, 243 were
found who had attended school not
more than six months, of these, MT one
was near-sighted. The proportion rises
steadily, in almost every kind of school,
from the youngest to the oldest classes
The degree OF affection increases in pro-
portion of the age ofthe scholars and the
rank of the school. Less than one-fourth
of the near-sighted required glasses be
tween Nos. 6 and Is; the remainder
weaker glasses. Near one-haif required
No. "a, or a weaker glass.
Without going further into DIR. COhn's
statistics, surely here is enough tOset us
on the inquiry for causes. No near
sightedness before the school age-and
nearly one half of the oldest pupils near
sighted! Our author sums up his results
with the remarks: ~ am far from at
tributing the enormous extension of
among school children
eacLLsiUcLy to the school; but due re-
spect for hygienic laws should compel
US to arrange matters so that no one can
point out even a possible cause of harm.n
The points which he would see attended
to are:
Il. School desks and seats adapted to
support the child's body in a healthy
position, with his eyes Mt proper dis
tance from the book.
80. Very well lighted school-rooms,
to remove the temptation to hold the
book near the face-a prolific source of
the increase ofnear-siShtedness
''3. Statutes to prevent school children
from wearing glasses unless ordered and
selected by physician.
~. Strict disciplinary measures to pre-
vent scholars amusing themselves by
squintiiag "a popular athletic pastime.)
-. Instruction in normal schools,
that teachers i'll future may be aware of
the evils arising from bad hygienic ar
in schools" He adds:
II am convinced that if these sugges-
tons should be attended to by those in
authority, the result would be, not in
deed the complete punishment of dfs-
eased eyes from the world but q greet
of the number of diseases of
-efrdction' in cltildren.n
In a very thorough examination of
,he school-desks and seats, III. Cohn
ound almost universally prevalent these
,aults: l. They did not correspond to
,he size of the pupils. =. The feet were
5. The book was brought
90 near the face. 4. The seat was away
rom the desk lin order to allow the
scholar to rise in his place in conse-
iuence of which the body had to stoop
Onward very much. This was one of
,he chiet faults found. ). Desk tons fat,
instead of inclined. He says, I'm every
,lass where | was present. daring the
exercise of writing, |, was able to Show
he teacher that the eyes o. almost
.very scholar were but two OF i!irt,,
inches distant from tile paper, Instead
If n foot, or a. foot aid half, as theS
ought to be-" HT.& Suggestions are, sy
support the feet to bring llle se'.t Ilal
he desk so neal that the edgelOi the lat-
er shall project all inch over the fortaeE;
o make the desk from 81 10 8 inches
higher than the seat, according to thei
ize of the scholar; and to inclipe. the
esktep moderately. The windows of
ch ol-roonis also received good deal
It attention from Dr.. Cohn. He says,
n regard to the quantity OF light admit
ed, 1.-The number of near-sighted pupils
n the twenty elementary schools is in
'ach case proportional to bhe narrow
less of the street, the height OF the op-
1osite houses, and the lowness of the
tory i'll the school-honse, in which the
lass is placed"
In regard to the use o. glasses, we find
'ur author reprehending in strong terms
he employment OF the same pair for
eading and for viewing distant Objects
is almost sure to bring on u rapid in
rease in the degree oi near-sighted-i
less. Bad type, fine maps. writing on
lates or with poor ink, reading in bed,
~ freight or moonlight, fine embroid-
ry, etc, are also more or less potent
auses; to which he adds congenital pre-
disposition. We would point out, as
mother cause, the overheatingo fschoOl-i
ooms. 1t needs no proof to show that
his must cause congestion of the eyes
which is one of the strongest operating
auses in producing ne;tr-si@htedness.
3nt an anectlote finr he Irlth nf Nltich