Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-01-21

matters relating TO personal and home
hygiene, and of the value of the fresh
air, sunlight, and pure food. and it has
directed the attention of school
boards, and boards Of health to in-
provementS and reforms which had
heretofore not attracted attention.
Children who came TO school unkempt
and unclean despite the efforts
of the teachers to improve their con-
dition gradually improved in their
personal appearance, and not only at
school but also were more cleanly at
home under this system. While this
matter of cleanliness may appear
trivial it makes considerable diff
ference aS regards contagious diseases
especially the contagious skin and
parasitic diseases. 1t is Of benefit to
the teacher for it enables her to re-
move i'll scholars and by detecting
physical defects of sight and hearing
makes her work lighter. for it is easier
to teach normal child than one i'll
or unable to see or hear normally; il
will at the same time instruct her in
various aspects of sch lol santa tion
and increase her ability to detect an
diling child, What has been said in
regard TO its value TO teacher and
child is also true to considerable eX-
tent with reference to parents. for
parents antagOnistic to it at first soon
see its value and endeavur to detect
early signs of sickness in child, and
Keep it home instead of sending it to
school and it indirectly increases their
interest in the school, and they are
soon convinced that inspection is
practical and economical method
of saving life and Of immeasurable
value in preventing disease. The
Chief value of inspection is of course
the service it viii! render in checking
the spread Of contagious diseases
which it will do by removing the
cause of the coutagion early and at
the same time enable US to find its
sources much easier than would other
wise happen. 1t will aid in the
chances Of recovery for the patient
will receive earlier treatment and be
removed earlier from harmful in
fuenceS, 1t will lessen the time lost
by the interruption Of school work by
these diseases, and have a tendency
to diminish the physical defects re-
sulting from them. 1t will permit of
earlier resumption of school work by
by the scholar and of earlier raising of
the quarantine for the parent. 1t will
show the public the salutary effect
and the necessity for Uhe isolation of
all contagious diseases
The great predOminance of eye
affections in school children was one
of the first things 10 call the atten-
tiOn Of investigators to the health of
school children. In Cleveland, Ohio.
it was found that 1S7 per cent had
some eye defects and in other places
the per ceut has run even higher,
most of them being refractive errors.
These are Of great Importance on ac-
count of the immediate symptoms and
disabilities which llow their neglect,
Their early corrections would prevent
many painful and disabling defects
common enOngh in childhood but
still more so in adult life. Defective
hearing to a less extent seriously
impairS the ability of the child to do
school work as does diseases of the
upper respiratory tract as enlarged
tonsils and adenOidS, which not only
incapacitateS the child for good work
but makes him mole susceptible to the
contraction OF contagious diseases as
diptheria, scarlet fever, and also lessen
his chances for recovery.
1t has been found that one half the
children deficient in their studies on
account Of physical defects are above
the average age of their grade. 1t is
apparent therefor that often the
supposedly stupiu child who makes
little or 10 headway in his studies is one
incapacitated by some cause or other.
1t has been proven many times that
when these defects are removed
or given proper treatment these
so called failures have been
able to keep up and even in some
cases OutStrip their fellows. The re-
suits of proper treatment at the prop
er time on the physical as we'll as the
mental and moral conditions of the
child in the class of detectives is truly
remarkable.
From an economic standpoint the
relation between medical inspection
and the extent of losses due to pre-
ventable i'll health and death is quite
suggestive-it will add greatly to our
wealth both in saving life with its
earning capacity and in the lessened
cost of fighting disease. The early
detection aud isolation of contagious
diseases, thus diminishing the num-
ber of cases would result in financial
swing of no small magnitude not only
to the Individual, sick and quaran-
tined but TO the public. Wherever
it has been tried IL has proven a
sound financial Investment. | have
endeayored in this short paper to
you some idea of the value and poSsi-
bilities of medical inspection and to
impress upon you that We owe more
to our children than a mental educa-
tion and should look after their physi-
Cal condition as well,
The cost of medical inspection is
the only objection that can. be reason
ably raised against it. and the expert
ence of places where tried has been
that it more than pays for itself, and