The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-14
DOCTORS DISCUSS
DISEASES OF EYE
Preservation of Sight OF schoo'
Children Considered by the
State Board of Health.


Protection and preservation of the
sight of school children-now vital
question all of the larga cities of the
country-Was the topic of an interest
ing discussion in the quarterly meeting
of the state board of health yesterday
afternoon.
Six of the foremost specialists in the
state on eye and ear diseases We're
present by invitation and from them
valuable information and practical
suggestions were obtained
The board has determined to take
precautionary action to the limit of it's
powers and has referred the matter to
plans to secure examination of the eyes
of all school children, to discover cases
of defective sight or hearing that de-
mand scientific attention.
The activity of the state board of
health and of the oculists who were
present yesterday is ntE inspired by
any apprehension of an epidemic Of
ease. In fact the oculists, without ex-
ception, agreed that trachoma is prac-
tically unknown in this city and there
is no imminent danger of any such cpl
demic.
Object of Discussion.
The object of the action which was
inaugurated in the meeting of yester-
day is to secure some method of SIM
pie examination of school children to
discover defects in sight or hearing
that, with proper attention, could be
corrected, but which, if left alone,
would progress to very serious de-
gree.
DR.. Henry Hutchinson, of this city,
vice president of the board, occupied
the chair and the other members pres
ent were Drs. c. w. More, Eveleth; M.
Kennon, Fosston: B. ]. Merrill, Still
water; w. H. Rowe. st. James; Ed
ward Shumpik, Minneapolis, and DIR. H.
M. Bracken, secretary of the board.
Among the specialists on diseases OF
the eye and ear practicing in the larger
cities of the state who were invited by
the board to attend this meeting, those
who responded were DR.. G. E. Lum,
Duluth; DR.. l.. F. G. Todd, Minneap-
oils. and Drs. ]. d. Lewis, ]. w. Cham
berlain. John F. Fulton and Thomas
McDavitt, ST. Paul.
DR.. Todd, of Minneapolis, was called
upon to tell what he could of the ex-
animation of the eyes of the school
children in Minneapolis. He said that
in Minneapolis a system had been
adopted whereby the teachers in the
schools can make the tests. Then, upon
finding any fault of hearing or vision,
the teacher gives the child a card stat
ms li1SlI 1ilS Cy CS VI Ccll . iONullS IIeu-
ical attention, and on the back
of the card are printed the
addresses of the free dispensaries
for the guidance of the parents in case
they should not be able to pay for
treatment. DR.. Todd said that by this
means many cases of defective vision
had been detected in time to have the
trouble corrected.
Myopia the Most Common.
DR.. Lewis, Of st. Paul, said he had
made a special study of the injuries
to the eye which are due to school life
The most common trouble, he said, is
myopia, or short sight, which is most
frequently found among those engaged
in occupations requiring the use of the
eye at the near point, and rarely
among laborers and artisans. Myopia,
he said, is condition until it progress
es to certain point, when absorption
of the tissues sets in, and then it is a
disease.
Existing in any degree, it is intensi-
fled by the use of the eye. He quoted
DR.. Kohn, an eminent German author
ity, whose statistical researches as to
myopia in the German schools, showed
that in the village schools the propor-
ton of those affected was four tenths
per cent, and that the proportion be-
came greater until in the universities
it was fifty-nine and five-tenths per
cent, or more than half. He said that
myopia can be arrested in the early
stages, but when it has reached the
malignant stage, the patient is prac-
tically blind.
MANY children are considered stupid
In school," said DR.. Lewis, when the real
trouble is that they do not see or hear
correctly. Such pupil is made miserable
whereas little attention to the eyes or
the ear would put him on an eo,1al ia sis
with his fellows
DR.. Lewis also spoke of trachoma which
he said was caused by germ which at
tacks first the mucous membrane of the
interior portion of the lid and the cornia
1t is infectious and if not discovered in its
incipient stage is incurable. This disease
is also known as graduated lids. He said
that all children SO affected should be
excluded from the schools.
The entire question was referred to the
executive committee of the board which
consists of Drs. Merrill, of Saltwater
Shumpik, of Minneapolis; Hutchinson. OF
St Paul. and Secretary Bracken. Tht
committee will report at the next meet
ing of the board