Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-22
SCHOOL CENTER OF CoNTAGIOn
DIR. RUBINOW MAKES PLEA FOR
MEDICAL INSPECTIONS.
Urges Importance Of Counteracting
Diseases and Prevention
of Spread.

Of Spread.
At a meeting of the Council OF the
Civic Center, held at the Public Library
yesterday afternoon, DR.. l. NJ Ruolno"'
chairman of the educational department.
raised the question of medical school IN
spection in the District of Columbia. he
pointed out that the District was very
much behind other American cities In the
-ficiency Of its school inspection system.
Medical school inspection. DR.. Rubinow
said, is to begin with a systematic enort
20 counteract the effect Of school as
a center of contagion for the children.
and 1t is one of the most important DOLL
cations of the city government only
TOO often have the school authorizes
been forced to close schools which have
become centers for distribution or con-
tagion and death. Prevention OF such
epidemic Is duty of the government:
which, enforcing school attendance by
law. should make 1t at least safe to the
children's lives. DR.. Durgins statistical
investigation Of prevalence OF dlpn'neria
and scarlet fever in Boston FOR twenty
years previous to the organization OF
medical inspection In the city. he stated,
SHOWS a very rapid decrease In the
prevalence Of these diseases as soon as
the school term closes, and very RAPID
increase In the fall.
There is only one way, it is believed. to
counteract this natural tendency OF
schools to act centers of contagion-
a systematic daily inspection and exam
ination OF all suspicious children IN
schools. That Is the method followed In
all these cities when medical Inspection
Is not an EMPTY form-that is not, how
ever. the method used in this city.
Alleged Loose Methods.
This daily inspection does not by far
complete the entire function Of medical
in pection Hand in hand with 1t must
60 the training of teachers in elementary
physiology and hygiene SO as to enable
them to recognize the suspicious chill
dren: a. system OF proper exclusion OF
children of homes containing contagious
patients: system of home visit. by pny-
sicians to such children as are absent TOT
any length Of time SO as TO Discover u.
reported cases of contagious diseases. ana
la system of satisfactory d1sln1ectioH
This medical school inspection is but
link within the modern system OF pre-
yentive hygiene and me. medicine cine n some Rnb;l
now stated. but the chain is no stronger
than its weakest link, and this weak INK
Is the loose system of medical Inspection
of schools. under which chlio suheI .ns
from diphtheria, measles, mumps to1-
sil.tis or whooping cough may remain
for several days in the c!assrooms with
out his condition being discovered FUR
Their, there are many diseases "nich ORC
less acute and less dangeroI 10. but never
theless contagious and harmful. such RS
skin or eye diseases pediculosis. tracho-
ma, etc. These do not require such ire
uuent inspection nor immediate exciu-
sion from school as long as the defects
NAV he pointed out and treatment insisted
upon.
than ordinary inspection for acute con-
~agious cases: The examinations mus. oe
,,Ore thorough; they must not limit them
aives to the suspicious children, but 70
al the children in the classroom. AND
..lat necessarily implies a much larger
and more efficient force than the Distrlct
school inspection possesses.
Slowly Growing Defects.
In addition to the diseases the school
child presents the problem Of those slowly
growing defects which interfere with his
efficiency in school and still more with
his efficiency in later life. Those are the
defects of normal physical growth and
development Of special senses. OF mental
power, which are often the true expiana-
ton OF the lazy dull or delinquent child.
Or there may be simply discrepancy
between the physical condition and the
mental strain of the school work. This
only systematic inspection can discover
and correct.
Finally, the organized city must sooner
or later make another step In the ef-
fective regulation Of the child's health.
1t does not limit itself to putting the
finger on the child's defect and pointing
it out to the proper person. but also
takes active measures to cure 1t. The
cry of socialism was raised against this
further development of medical school In
spection, and the unreasonable tear OF
ignorant parents had to be overcome. In
New York and Boston the authorities
succeeded in overcoming all these obsta-
cles And thus we have In New York and
Boston the school nurse administering
simple remedies and treatment to thou
sands of children in school and at the
homes.
Such has been the development of the
medical school inspection for the short
fifteen years Of it's history. DR.. Rubinow
said and In this history the District has
contributed but little.
Complete System in New York.
The most complete system is that OF
the city Of New York. In 1906 100000
children were examined and in 1904, even
IL, 100000. Sixty-five thousand chill
dren were excluded in 1904 and 49,
coo in 1906, because those numerous
exclusions were found unnecessary
since the Introduction of the school
nurse with her active treatment of minor
cases. Seventy-eisht thousand children
were examined for complete physical rec
ords; l. 800 absented children were visited
at home by the physicians; 11,OOO chill
dren were treated in eye hospitals and
nearly 100000 treatments administered.
The nurses made $1,000 visits to schools
and homes, and administered Loo, OOO
treatments. Of which 100000 in the COM
mon complaint Of pediculosis.
OF course, a complete system like the
one described costs a great deal OF money.
New York city spends over $20O,00O a
year for it. But with an average attend
ance of over 100000, 1t means only about
10 cents per child. At this rate the cost To
this city should not exceed $40. OO0-
surely not an excessive amount for the
capital of this country.
This splendid development of the New
York medical school inspection system
took about twelve wears The whole syS-