Evening star., 1909-04-12
TO CHECK DISEASE
More Rigid Medical Inspection
of Schools Desired.
INCREASED FORCE WANTED
Commissioner Macfarland Will Rec
ommend It to Associates.
REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER
No Systematic and Thorough Exam
ination Of All the Pupils in the
District Ever Made.
REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

| Commissioner Macfarland will recon-
| mend that the District Commissioners. In
their estimates to Congress next year. re.
quest an Increase in the number Of med
| ical inspectors Of the schools.
| At the request Of Commissioner Mac.
/ farland, Health Oficer Woodward has
prepared a memorandum as to the med
| deal inspection Of public schools and
| what is necessary to extend it so as ia
| provide for systematic examination of all
| the pupils. as is done in Chicago and
| some other cities, and as a result Com
m!ssioer Macfarland Will recommend
| to the Commissioners that an increase
| In the number of inspectors be asked
| Il Congress. in order that systematic
inspection may be made. Health Officer
| Woodward holding that 1t is impracticable
| with the present force of inspectors.
Purpose Of Medical Inspection.
The report made by Health Officer
| Woodward is, in part, as follows:
''The medical inspection of public
schools in this District. as organized. under
the regulations governing such inspec-
tion, aims primarily to- accomplish three
| things:
4. To prevent any pupil from attend
| ing school who is suffering from defect
| or disease, which renders his presence
materially detrimental to the welfare of
the safety Of other pupils. or any pupil
| whose attendance at school will material
ly jeopardize his own health when the
| condition out of which such jeopardy
arises is Of temporary character. (Sec-
| ton -.
| "2. To advise the principal Of the school
| building with reference to all matters of
hygiene or sanitation which are brought
to the inspectors attention relating to
| school admipistration and to invite the
attention OF principals and teachers to
such conditions in the schoolroom and
in the building generally, from sani-
tary standpoint, as reuQire correction.
(Section 14.)
so. To see that he applicants for ad-
mission to the normal school and pupils
in that school seeking graduation, and Of
applicants for appointment as teachers
or janitors, are physically fit for the
course of training or for the work upon
| which they seek to enter.
'The service is by law under direction
Of the health Office. but such regulations
as he makes concerning 1t must have the
approval of the Commissioners and the
board of education.
No Thorough Examination.
mo systematic effort has ever been
made to thoroughly examine physically
all the pupils in our schools. The num-
ber Of available medical inspectors. in
view Of the fact that the salaries paid
are not large enough to justify calling
upon them % devote the entire day to
their official duties. has not been sufh
cient to permit the department to enter
Is required to devote to his work no.
less than three hours each school day.
Any material increase in the amount of
time required would tend to drive the
,Nckl lac{~ otay 10 fhn fon
and to keep other good men out. In con-
nection wi h the recent investigation by
the Presidents homes commission. how
ever, a systematic, IL somewhat super
the public schools was made by the
medical inspectors with the following
results:
Among colored pupils. 1872 per cent
were found defective, and among white
pupils 3S.9 per cent. The percentage in
10 the better condition Of their teeth.
The percentage Of defective pupils
among all children, white and colored.
was 35.5 Omitting the cases in which
the defect was merely toOthache, the
percentage was 900. The fact that tooth
ache in childhood Is classed as defect
worthy Of record indica es that the sit
uation Is not SO alarming as the figures
indicate, and this is probably true with
respect to figures relating to other
places.
Pay Of the inspectors.
I'm undertaking to compare the work
Ing force in this District provided for
the medical inspection Of schools with
the working forces provided for the same
purpose in other communities. difficulty
is experienced because Of the fact that
in some few communities medical in
spectors Of schools are required to per-
Rovv 1,,tfn Ind fa6 hxyf 1ofr *3ofo
titles, and because, as is apparent from
the wide range in the salaries paid to
such employees, inspectors in some places
are required to devote q larger part Of
the day to their work than are inspec-
tors elsewhere. In comparing. however.
the situation in Chicago with the situa-
tion in this District the following data
appears:
medical inspectors, the average number
somewhat less than 1900. Washington
has about $4,000 school children, and
twelve medical inspectors, the average
per inspector being. therefore, somewhat
over 400. The compensation in each
case seems heretofore to have been about
the same. Chicago paying $50 per month
during the school year and the District
Of Columbia paying $500 per annum there
spectors to do except during the school
year. In Chicago, however. on April 1
Of the current year. the salaries of these
inspectors was raised to $66.66 per month,
and the inspector will be required from
the date named to do all the contagious
disease work in his district.
THE exact significance of the figures
that have been published with respect
to the physical examination Of Chicago
school children cannot be understood
without knowing the nature Of the de-
fects and diseases for which treatment
has been advised, and even then. the
personal equation Of the inspector plays
discouregingly important part. 1t is
hardly believable that 46.4 per cent of
II, 1905 and December 30, 1908. were de-
fective or diseased to any material de-
gree, or that out OF the 2,SO3 pupils ex-
amined physically during the week end
ing February q. 1909. 1.546. or somewhat
more than half. were in that condition.
Larger Force Recommended.
1.-The health officer has fully realized for
some time past the desirability of
strengthening our medical inspection OF
schools and is heartily In favor Of the sys-
tematic examination Of all school children.
Such examination cannot be made, how
ever. in a proper manner with the force
now available. For the purpose OF improv-
ing the service the health officer. In the
estimates which he submitted for the ex-
penses of the health department during
the coming fiscal year, recommended that
q chief medical inspector Of school be
provided, at 1880 per annum: that the
number Of medical inspectors be increased
from twelve to eighteen; that their sal
aries be increased from $500 per annum
to 5000 per annum, and that six school
nurses be provided at a salary Of 5000
/ ppAh hat