Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-28

DOCTORS FOR
ALL SCHOOLS
EDUCATION BOARD ADOPTS NEW
SYSTEM
PHYSICIANS WILL SAFEGUARD
CHILDREN
With Aid of Teachers, the Medical
Staff Is to Watch to Prevent
the Spread of Dis
case

In line with the most progressive meth
ods of preventing the outbreak anC
growth of disease among the pupils IL
the public schools is the adoption by th'
board of education last night of the re
| port of the health committee.
After the reading of the report, Field
ing j. Stilson, in a few words, compli
mented his fellow members of the boarC
and thanked them for their unanimous
support. A prominent member of the New
York school boaru, he said, had explained
the merits of the system to him, and was
unstinted In his praise of the good ac-
complished by it.
Every pupil, upon enrolment. Is sub
jected to a rigid physical examination
under the new conditions, and If any de-
fects are found they are at once reported
to the child's parents with the recon-
mendation that proper treatment be pro-
cured.
The report is as follows:
ITO the Board of Education-Gentle-
men: Your health committee reports rec
ommending that the following be the
plans of work in the health and develop
ment department for the coming year:
That the physical examination of pu-
pills, under the direction of the board of
education, with working force for the
same, be as follows:
zone director (who shall at the same
time be director of the science teaching
in the two high schools, and two assist
ants; If possible, two physicians; the Of
fees of the staff to be located'at the Los
Angeles high school.
"One-half of every other day to be de-
voted to high school examinations, the
remaining time to elementary school ex-
aminations.
Teachers to Cooperate
ut shall be the duty of class teachers
and principals of SCHOOLS to make such
examinations OF pupils as the director and
superintendent of schools may direct.
Principals and teachers examinations to
be as follows: Eyesight and hearing
visual and aural fractions-school indi-
cations of defective eyesight and hearing;
indications of adenoids and large tonsils;
condition of teeth; chest development;
superficial indications Of heart weakness;
general physical and mental condition of
pupil. After the principal and teachers
have examined and reported, as far as
they are able, the examiners will fur
ther examine such cases as may be sent
to them from time to time by teachers
and other members of the school depart
ment, particularly all pupils in special
schools and ungraded rooms, and, in ad-
dition, SHALL in so far as possible, inspect
the school rooms of the city.
"Anthropometric examinations to be
conducted by the director and his assist
ants shall be limited to the following
points: Condition of eyesight, hearing,
teeth, breathing and heart action. When
ever examination shows defective condi-
items in the above particulars on the part
of a pupil, 1t shall be the duty of the
teacher, the principal or the examiner
fta oiroo IN ha
same to the child's parents Immediately,
with the suggestion that the family ply
sician be consulted at once and the de-
feet, If possible, remedied. In case the
parents fail to consult the family physi-
clan, If action is not taken within rea-
sonable time, it shall be the duty OF the
teacher or principal in charge to so report
to the director of the anthropometric
and If in his judgment the
case in question Is serious enough to war
rant such action, 1t snail be his duty to
cooperate with the parents to arrange to
have the child attended at one of the
free clinics of the city or by a physician
from among those who may have vol
their services for this purpose
May Increase Staff
at Is understood that II 1t shall develop
that the staff as specified above Is not
equal to the task OF performing the work
herein indicated, an additional assistant
shall, whenever in the Judgment of the
and the health committee
his services are required, be detailed
for it.
''It shall be the duty Of the director and
his assistants to keep the following regu-
lar Office hours at tine laboratory at the
Los Angeles high school, and to use the
remainder of each school day in visiting
the class rooms of the public schools to
Instruct the teachers therein in the proper
method OF examining the children under
their charge and to assist them In that
work.
'"The laboratory hours shall be as fol-
lows: From $3.50 to 1890 a. m. on each
school day, and from to Il on Saturday
"It shall be the duty of the director at
the end of each school month to make a
report of the work done during the month
by himself and the members of his staff
to the city superintendent of schools.
This report shall contain a list of class
rooms visited, number and character of
examinations made, and cases followed
g.