Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29
HEALTH OF CHILDREN
How It is Guarded in New
York Schools.
A RIGID INSPECTION
MANY DOCTORS AND NURSES ARE
KEPT BUSY.
Remarkable System Of Medical Super
vision Which is Attract
ing Attention.
A RIGID INSPECTION

Written for The Evening Star by DIR. Thomas Oar
Iington, Commissioner Of Health, New York city.
Undoubtedly one of the most important
lines of work in the department of health
is the medical supervision of the children In
the public schools. This work, which was
begun in 1897, has now developed into
large proportions, and has not only been
productive of great good. but has attracted
the attention of medical and educational
circles both at home and abroad In this
respect seldom does day pass that the de-
partment of health does not receive in
quiries as to the detail of this safeguard
ing of the health of the school child. These
inquiries come not only from all the large
American cities, but also from nearly all
foreign countries; even Germany, which
boasts of eminence in educational matters.
And they come not merely from health de-
partments and foreign governments, but
also from school boards and societies, and
many private persons are interested in the
work. Therefore, it may not seem out of
place to explain at length the system in
vogue.
Previous to the adoption of the inspection
system epidemics of scarlet fever dfphthe-
ria and measles frequently occurred among
the children attending the New York
schools, especially those on the crowded
east side. Investigation by medical eX-
perts showed that children were allowed to
attend the school while ''peelng" from
scarlet fever or measles
1t was found also that in many mild
cases of scarlet fever, measles or diphtheria
there was no attending physician. and the
parents treated the children with home
remedies. The cases were never reported
to the department of health, and nothing
prevented the children from returning to
the class room when, in the opinion of the
parents, they had recovered. 1t was found
that children were often allowed to return
not only while still peeling, but before the
bacilli had disappeared from the throat.
Besides, children in the family in which
these diseases occurred were allowed to
continue school attendance during the en-
tire illness of the patient.
Daily Inspection.
These, of course, are the conditions which
naturally prevail in any large city like
New York which has a considerable section
of its population ignorant or careless on the
subject of infection. 1t be COPIED with
only by rigid system of daily medical in
spection of the children in the schools The
need for this is greatest in large cities; but
1t exists wherever children congregate In
considerable numbers. On the east side of
New York it is absolutely vital to the main
tenance of the public health
mis- was the view taken by the investi-
gators who discovered the alarming extent
TO which infection was brought into the
schools. One hundred and fifty medical in
spectors were appointed to go into the
schools and examine every child regularly.
The schools have been so grouped that each
inspector has under his charge about five
thousand children, and he is required to in
spect every one of them at least once a
week.
inspectors must visit all public schools
assigned to them before 10 a m each school
day. The first visit is called the morning
inspection, and consists in calling at the
schools to inspect all children isolated by
the principal as possibly sick with some
contagious disease all children who have
been absent from school for a few DAYS and
all children excluded from school attend
ance.
After the morning inspections have been
finished the inspector returns to one of his
schools to make routine inspection" The
routine inspection consists of class-to-
class examination of each child present
A Rigid Examination.
The inspector enters a class room and
stands with his back to a window, and has
the children pass before him. Under no
circumstances is an inspector allowed to
touch child in a class room. The chill
dren march by the inspector, pull down
their own eyelids and open their mouths
wide. AS the children pass. the inspector
examines the eye, throat, hair and hands
of each child.
If a child is suspected of having any trou-
BILE which is not quite evident the inspector
orders the child to his office in the school
for a more thorough examination. Chill
dren showing signs of measles scarlet
fever, dipntheria, smallpox, varicella, ro-
theln, whooping cough, mumps, acute ca
tarrhal affections of eyes. nose and throat
are excluded from school forthwith
Each child excluded from school is given
a properly filled-out Exclusion card" Civ
ing the name, age and residence of the
child, the number and location of the
school and also the disease causing exclu-
sion. This exclusion card is given to the