The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-09
100 MANY DISEASED CHILDREN
u,BpRISING TEST RESULTS IN
CITY SCHOOLS.
m, N 1900 children in Four Primary
schools O,2OA Required Medical Al.
ten,Ion for some Abnormal Condition
l. More thorough Inspections Required

,en,Ion for some Abnormal Condition
L More thorough Inspections Required
tn. health authorities under the direc-
zion OF Dr. Herman Biggs have just COM
rle,ed a very important invest CATION into
,ho health Of some OF the school children
~ ,his city, which has shown prevalence
~ disease exceeding their expectations.
Isa result they are compiling now a report
n he madc to the Board Of Estimate which
.iIl describe the conditions found and
which will ask that the city make special
.npropriation for school inspectors suffi-
,ient to permit Of regular monthly exami-
ns,ions Of school children much wider in
scope than any ever undertaken before.
The figures compiled by the medical in
.nector- and now in DR.. Biggs's possession
show tina, out of almost $4,000 children
examined more than 5000, or almost half.
Nod something the matter with them.
That this proportion should exist, accord
inc 10 the doctors, shows the necessity
NJ adortlng some system by which every
child showing disease Of any form can be
followed up by regular monthly exami-
nations. To do that 1t will require large
increase in the present Appropriation.
While the health authorities have been
gradually extending their work Of looking
after the health of SC hool children, they
have never gone so far as to make the gen.
eral physical condition of child part Of the
work Of the Health Department. Until
recent years all that the medical inspectors
in the schools did was to examine all cases
reported by the teacher as being possibly
infectious. This work in itself requires
a lot of inspectors, Later, skin diseases
and pediculoss, which was especially prev
alent, were included.
For year or more past monthly ex-
aminations have been made for the pur-
pose Of discovering such cases. The Health
authorities have also been employing fifty
trained nurses. known as school nurses.
In Manhattan and the Bronx these nurses
subject the children sometimes to daily
examinations besides visiting their homes
and advising their parents.
Last spring. when sociological student
raised the cry Of breakfastless school
children, DR.. Biggs had an examination
made of this phase. 1t had hardly been
completed before it was decided to have
general physical examination made of
certain number Of ohilren, which should
include all kinds of diseases, bad nutrition,
nervousness mentality, enlarged glands,
condition of the breathing organs, vision
and hearing and all deformities Of the
spine or chest. No such examination had
ever been undertaken before. The work
was done by 100 inspectors. Four schools
Of the primary grade were taken. All Of
them were in the poorer quarters, but
the worst quarters for disease were avoided
in order that the results might be taken as
general. About 1000 children week
were examined, one doctor doing about
six a day. The work was completed just
before the end Of the school year and the
figures have just been put together.
as announced yesterday by DR.. Biggs, was
1891 OF this number those described as
requiring medical attention was 9, 294.
The number Of i'll fed children found was
1902. This is the complete result:
.ha. OH