The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-10-05
PUPILS NAKED IN SCHOOL.
STRIPPED EN- MASSE FOR
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION.
Complaint Made of the Method Adopt
ed-Dr. Cleveland Says There is No
Cause for Complaint.

Compaint has been made of the man.
ner in which the physical examination
of children in the public schools has
been and is being made. These COM
plants have reached Minister Mott
Smith, the Board of Health, the teach
ers and the examining physicians
/ themselves.
The alleged facts of which complaints
are made is, that there is too much
publicity in the method of conducting
the examination subjecting to humili-
alton before the whole body of their
schoolmates those pupils who have
physical defects whether they are such
as to keep them out of school or not.
! 1t is also complained that there is too
| little privacy to be compatible with
the ideas of modesty which many of
the pupils entertain and which it is at
tempted to incucate in all.
The method of examination complain
plants Secretary Wilcox of the Board
/ ed of is that of requiring all the girls
of school, for instance, to strip naked
! in each others presence, stand up i'm
a row in this state of nudity while the
physician passes down the line making
the examination. Those that are clear
| ly without dsqualifying blemish are
dismissed from the line at once to re-
sumo their clothes, while the others
are more critically examined.
In the case of the boys there is no
/ reports of just this method being
adOpted In some cases all the boys
in a room We're required to strip to the
waist, and then if further examination
were required it was done privately.
ThC examinations We're made this
year by DR.. Howard for the boys and
by DR.. Luella S. Cleveland for the
girls. They have visited all the schools
but two.
When asked re garding the COM
plants Secretary Wilcox of the Board
of Health stated that he had heard of
the matter, but did not know about
the facts of the case.
! DIR. Cleveland said that she did not
know of any complaints, but she was
of the opinion that the facilities might
be better, though she thought there was
little to criticize. This is my first
year to do this work" she stated, land
! | suppose the system is the same as
formerly. In most of the schools there
are rooms enough, with closets and
partitions, for the work to be carried
on properly In others there are not.
| think it likely that the cOmplainers
are children who don't want to be eX-
amined at all. A great many of them
have childish prejudice against
it. ana if it We're not for the truant
officer we should have few pupils at
the schools.
Z Some screens are needed in some of
Z the schools, but as a general thing,
all is satisfactory, and / don't know
that anywhere there We're conditions
that the girls would object to If it were
play and not duty. Their modesty
would not be so extreme were they
swimming together"
The doctor added that she had been
3 agreeably surprised at the conditions
she had found to exist I'm the mat
ter of cleanliness and in general
healthiness the children here have a
nigh average she stated. 81 should
not expect to find better in many parts
of great American cities"
/ Minister MottSmith president of
the Board of Education, had also heard
of complaints, but he did not credit
the report of the state of affairs that
gave rise to the principal charges of
improper methods. He had been in
formed of a case in which four or five
girls had been examined at the same
time in one room, the father of one
of them having lodged a complaint.
II have made an investigation of the
plan of the work" said the Minister
| and do not see occasion for Crti-
cism OF course, there is much objec-
ton to having examinations at all, but
they are necessity. 1t is the dislike
of any examination that probably
causes the children to complain in the
HISl pace lneN are given mere
cursory inspection all together. Many
are finally passed in this way The
others are examined more fully, in
small patches, but any who desire to
be alone, can have private eXamina-
tion by asking for it.
| In the case of the one complaint
that was brought to me- the girl was
found to be suffering with an illness.
/ The dissatisfaction was that others
should have been present to hear of it
and this was quite natural"
Mr.. MOtt-Smith thought that the
| principals of schools would have re-
ported to him any serious complaints
or any lack of facilities and ne was
satisfied that the work was being done
about as well as could be expected.
! The actual state of affairs in the
school before referred to had evident
1 ly not been reported to him.
/ The minister stated that the eXamin-
alton was needed as much as a precau-
ton as on account of any state of af-
fairs known to exist and that it should
be more thorough rather than other
wise. 1T is impossible to Overestimate
the value of a single discovery of a
case that should be kept out of the
schools" he said. There are not many
such, but we cannot afford to allow
even one inside. Some years ago we
did find case of leprosy. As a rule
the examination is principally useful
| in compelling those of the lower
/ classes who do not do so to observe
civilized rules of health and cleanli-
ness"
HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC co.
! At the meeting of the Hawaiian EIec-