The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-01-16

partly detailed here, but nearly all the
children who ask for work certificates
have defects which ought to have been
remedied before they are permitted to
undergo confinement in stores and fac
tories, in struggle for part of their
! daily bread. If the state undertakes to
insure an education for its children.
can it do less than to provide for that
personal hygiene of the child which
shall make for the best physical con-
dition its heredity will permit? In
those families in affluent circum-
stances how much is spent annually
for dentists, nose, throat and ear spe-
ciahsts, occuliSt, ortheopedic surgeons
and general medical practitioners on
the one or two children in such fam
lilies? What, then, of the larger fam
lies Of children, many of whom must
work before they have 'ssen the
change of fourteen years?" Where may
the parents of children get for them
the necessary medical attention? They
will not go to the dispensaries. In
many cases the parents have not the
money to spare, and if they had, few
of them could be brought to see the
necessity for improving the physical
condition of the child.
A4C Gall ACNOA A1U IOOJ dCAC,
says the parent of the boy with an
INSTRUCTED nose, mouth full of carl
Gus teeth and chains Of enlarged
glands in the neck. And that is about
all that many parents can understand
about the conditions of their poorly
nourished mouth, breathing and ne
ceSsary somewhat stupid children. Yet
these are the children who as men
and women fail early in the race Of
life, and surely become victims of
disease, frequently of some form of
tuberculosis.
When will parents begin to under
stand the effects of decaycd teeth,
large tonsils, adenoids, reduced vision
and hearing, and some defects upon
the nutrition and sense development
of the child, Or upon the man or wo-
man that is ITO be. Stunted, f1at-chest-
ed and deformed in face, these chill
dren are possible parents, We are
sending medical missionaries abroad.
Is there not need of medical mission
aries at home? Generally it is too late
to altogether restore the child to the
normal by removing its defects when
it applies for certificate to work.
The physical defects which result in
mal-development must be attended to
at the earliest possible moment. -
sense digestive and respiratory appar-
atus should be carefully watched
! through all the child's budding years,
and ultimately when we are wiser, at
tention will be paid to sexual hygiene.
We In Rochester have refused GER
tificates to those children with most
marked physical defects. A strict
physical examination, such as the
state should demand would have pre-
vented many of these children apply
ing from receiving certificates to work
In stores and factories. OF the par
ents of many of these children would
be unable to pay for the rerfair work,
we have witI the aid Of private phil
anthropy organized the Rochester Pub
lie Health association with dental
eye, ear, nose and throat clinics for
school children and for those who de.
sire to work. At these clinics we have
| been able to provide skilled medical
attention to all who have thus far ap.
piled. In this work we have sought
| to displace the old practice Of the
medicine OF drugs by the newer prac
tice of the medicine of hygiene, which
seeks to preserve the body in health
| in Its city environment
This Is the work OF the clinic of the