The sun., 1903-12-13

hair; instructed, too, how to use soap and
| towel. Nothing is left to the imagination
that can be illust rat ed, and in certain phases
of this work teachers are wonderfully
| aided by the visiting physician and nurse
These, in the opinion Of one old taxpayer
| who rubbed his spectaces energetically
a. he spoke. ARE from health standpoint
by far the most valuable OF all the new
| tangled notions introduced into the public
| schools"
! or course a doctors visit can't exactly
be classed with the new fashions, for even
away back in the old days, a medical man
once in while did put In an appearance
| at one and another of the schools and al
ways came in d hurry when he was sent
for. But his visits were intermittent,
regular, and between times child might
be we'll under way with contagious disease
and run the risk of injecting dozens Of Other
children before the teacher suspected 1t.
Nowadays, such thing is impossible.
When DR.. Ledere took hold Of the Health
Department, one OF his first official acts
was to assign certain number Of physicians
to visit the public hools, and he made 1t
plain that every school must be visited
daily. This decided measure made prin-
cipals and teachers open their eyes. They
opened them still wider when DR.. Lederle
followed this up by appointing nurses to
cooperate with the doctors.
At first, the nurses showed up only at
the schools in the most congested tenement
districts, but soon the supply was increased,
so that all the schools could be visited.
Fortunately, in some of them there is little
need at any time for nurse.
In most districts one physician visits
two schools, and many persons marvel
how 1t is possible for one man to examine
the several hundred children OF one school,
looking into the eyes of every child In the
long procession which files by, class after
class, in an hour or less. The children, how
ever, who grow accust omed to the ceremony
save time to the doctor by going through
it with the utmost nonchalance and de-
spatch, their mode of procedure being far
more surprising than pretty.
The doctor takes his seat near window
which throws a strong light upon the ap-
preaching file of youngsters, each of whom,
when close to him, opens his or her mouth
to the widest possible limit-which is very
wide indeed-and at the same time. with
a finger at either eye, pulls down the lower
lid to show as much of the white Of the
eye as possible. The physician takes in
the startling picture at a glance, and 40
well do the children read his face and un-
derstand his signs that, without word
said one passes on and out of the room,
another will wheel around to exhibit the
back of her head, others step to one side
and wait for more careful examination,
given after the last of the line has trudged by,
The examination may result in one or
two children being sent home, with orders
to call in the family doctor. Others are
prescribed for on the spot, and more are
turned over to the nurse In the latter
case Johnny, Billy, Mary or Lena is made
to understand that certain home treatment
must be given at once.
Tell your mother" says the nurse, TO
do thus and 80 for you tonight and In
the morning. and be sure and report to mo
at school Tomorrow
II the next day the nurse decides that
her orders have not been obeyed she goes
to the child's home and in person lays
down the law. This usually has more
effect.
1t is scarcely year since the nurses began
their ministrations in the lower East Side
schools. and already there is q decided
change for the better, say the physicians.
in the appearance and health of many of
the children. These before then were
habitual sufferers from various eye and
skin diseases some forms OF which were con-
tagious.