Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-13
DULL OR D|SORDERLY
children of Public Schools Given
Hygienic Test.
CAUSES OF IMMORTALITY
criminal Waste in Trying to Educate
Unhealthy Children.
CHOOSE HEALTH OR EDUCATION
idea of Medical Inspection Of Schools
for Disease Sweeping Over
Entire Country.
HEALTH OR EDUCATION

condition that special medical or hygien!c
treat IGent is necessary 10 make them well
enough t. gain the full mental benefit from
the instruction. Extensive investg cations
by the local school authorities and the de-
Iartu.yUt Of health have led to this belief.
out o! IS OI public school children exam
lned in Il single year 81 80 have been found
In need OF medical attention. OF these
27.cyO had affections Of the nose and throat
which made them ready prey to any
migratory germ of scarlet fever. diphtheria
or tuberculosis. In the eye tests the board
of health found in one year 1i.6'S con-
tagious cases and iT.925 instances of de-
fective vison-a5out 80 per cent of the
cases tested.
II was found that 9S per cent OF the chill
dren in a single school had one or more
decayed teeth and that ~ per cent had
three or more wholly dccayed and entirely
neglected muiars, which made their mouths
nests of Infection, and. ny interfering Win
nutrition. lowered the tone of the entire
system. And new and equally significant
facts in the campaign FOR hNE.enlc better
ment are constantly icing uuearthod by the
inspectors. In another school 1t was found
that q per cent Of the pupils had defective
vision. which made study phNslta. tor
mcnt AMI accounted for many supposedly
unluly cases The stcthoscope revealed !"
another typical school fifteen cases of dan
gerous chronic heart disease. and 81 put
under a physician : saving care tAat many
children whose lives had previously UreH III
| constant jeopardy
Typical of Conditions Everywhere.
Ii is believed that the discoveries in New
York are typical of the situation in other
large cities. and that all over the coun-
try there are great numbers of children
| needing q physicians attention whose
plight is not known to their parents until
~ "a L ms a n
for dgllrcss or disorder. discover sickness
as the true cause.
These discoveries in the local schools
have led To tn" estimate that over $1,000
600 is wasted annually in New York city
irving To educate children who are not In
good enough physical condition TO progress
at the normal rate of the healthy child
This means, In many instances. that the
city must ray a teacher for two years
and use classroom for two years TO teach
n sick child what could be taught in one
year. if that child We're made well. And
this conclusion has led to a decided move
rnent headed by City Superintendent Will
liam II Maxwell and the director of physf-
cal training. for plan not only OF relief
OF the ailing child through threatment,
but for a system Of preventive hygiene
which shall find and remove, or at least
reduce. the cause of child abnornality.
In this movement one Of the great uni
vcrsities of the city is joining. and u ma
tional organization, the American School
hygiene Association, has been formed TO
push the idea OF child health rs a school
investment. The purpose of these allied
movements is to abolish the dun child.
Conference on Health.
This movement for protective health
measures in the schools will receive a de-.
c.ded impetus this summer. as a large
number Of physical directors, superin-
tcndents ard teachers from all over the
country are gathering in New York dur
ing the present month for series Of
thirty conferences on personal and school
hygiene, under the leadership OF DIR.
Gulick. Amsng the topics TO be studied
will be the rclations of boards of health
and education. the effects Of the various
studies on physical. mental and emotional
health. happiness and growth; the question
Of school equipment in it's relationship TO
health, the significance of school diseases
and methods of overcoming defects in
school life. Under personal hygiene.
measures which make fer maximum output
in quantity and quality will be co1Sid-
tired. and special attention will be given to
sleep. the effect of noise. fatigue, proper
bathing care of eyes and teeth and other
parts of the body, as measures of cduca-
tional economy
Communicable Diseases.
There Will also b. special attention to
the haQdlug of communicable diseases
among pupils and the advance measures
which will make children less subject to
q
them lc.s capable Of making normal
progress. 1t is hoped that through these
conferences and lectures the idea of pre-
N-rt!ye health work by medical experts
VII spread rapidly To the thirty or forty
school systems which VIII be represented
Ev their teachers The work in hygiene
VIII h. supplemented on the educational
f!ic by elaborate courses in pedagogy and
methods @: teaching, and by many Univer-
sty courses OF biology, chemistry and
In discussing the new movement DR..
.lrk ID. Merely to supply glasses to
ca.iseu after their vision has been found
- pc defective IS no more cure for bad
ewes than supporting n drunklrds children
IS n remedy for drunkenness What is
needed - preventon-preventive hygiene
which will find and remove the causes OF
physical defects. And such work requires
Tive special technical knowledge possessed
ly the medical man and biologist School
health * not question of pedagogy or
s.1.prl admiuistrati ton. and the pedagogical
expert - no more qualified 10 deal with IL
tan he j. 20 tell the business side Of the
S'I""l system how TO buy coal. or the
architect low to plan a structuTally safe
aoil ulldiug. School health IS Il matter
i.r tie hyE.eH.c expert.
Hours for School Study
''rnc relation 90 reading 10 vision is not
question - Pedagogy or Psychologist IS
question % the physiology OF the eye
TIE question ~ how many hours the child
s-'UId study AZ home 10 get The greatest
r"-Uts 70, mental and physical growth IS a
question f,r the biological! expert. although
TIE master %; what subjects should be SO
1t-oi IS question Cor the schoolmaster
l.r instance. data must be complied as to
whether children OF certain age who work
certain number OF hours are more subject
g contagious disease, cOnstip a iOn. pimples
etc, than the child who studies a differing
amount There Is no need To choose be
tween health and educat!on-the two 90 to-
rether. and the new science should md the
conditions which give the best results Of
mental and physical growth for the child.
it Is well known. for instance that a child
who works five hours day will make
greater progress than the child who studies
ton hours day.
The crowded city and the new form OF
city school life have created new set OF
problems within the last two generations.
md these problems must be answered by
Il new sc!ence-the application Of technical
medical knowledge 10 the school problem.
The necessity for such work is rapidly
gaining the acceptance OF scloo! boards as
measure OF economy, for II is realized