Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-12-23

An interesting Paper Read by
Mrs. V. E. Thompson at a
Recent Meeting in the Witter
Building.

|
presentation of such an important
movement as medical examination of
schools, which is sweeping so rapid
| ~ over our country, should be Civ
the task seemed very much light
ened however, when the efficient
chairman of the school committee
told me of the enthusiastic manner
in which the physicians of the city
signified their interest in the move
ment and their willingness to coop
crate to bring about the success of
such an undertaking.
It was my privilege and pleasure
last summer to attend a district
convention of Federated Clubs at
Madison. There were interesting re-
ports of the work being done in that
part of the state and [ couldn't help
| feeling that Grand Rapids was keep
ing pace with the advance movement
of e most progressive cities. The
work being done not only in the nu-
merous literary clubs bu+ by uni
ted effort of all for the progress of
the city from the standpoint of civ
ic Improvement, OF relief work, and
portance the physical welfare of the
children of the publicschools
A sound mind in a sound body has
been much quoted and while a great
deal has been dome to produce the
sound mind, the sound body until
recent years has been somewhat
neglected. That new interest is be
ing awakened along this line at the
present time lis indicated by the fact
that the more modern school build
ings are equipped with gymnasiums,
that play grounds i'm connection with
our schools are being agitated and fl
nally the movement under discussion,
namely the physical supervision of
school children.
In looking up this work scores of
articles have come to my notice
articles in daily papers, in popular,
scientific and educational magazines,
reports and pamphlets which have
been printed for general distribu-
uon-an of which tend to give evil
dence Of the fact that it is a live
subject of the day. The most com
prehensive book on the subject is
Medical Inspection of Schools by GU
lick and Ayers which was the result
of research work supported by the
Russell Sage Foundation, the pur-
pose of which is to study the re
tardation among school children.
In the public schools of New York
City there failed in promotion of
their grades last year over 100000
pupils. DR.. Maxwell, Supt. of the
New York schools, claims that the
root of the trouble lis the physical
unfitness of the children to do re-
! asonably good school work owing to
/ lack Of nutrition and physical de
fects.
DR.. Cronin, chief medical inspec-
tor of New York City, says that all
pupils reported as backward by vari-
GUS teachers were examined and out
of these ninety-fiye per cent were
found to have physical defects. In
the schools of Massachusetts it was
found that among the 100000 child
rem examined, 200 were defective
in vision and $4,000 in hearing In
Germany it is stated that ninety per
cent of the school children have de
i fective teeth andasimilar proportion
is found in American cities. 1877 cas-
es of excessive adenoids growths are
reported for single city and other
similar appalling statistics might be
given
There are many examples which
could be cited Illustrating the fact
that these defects interfere great
ly with their school work. A boy of
five attended school half year with
out learning even one letter His
teacher concluded that he was de-
ficient in brains, and questioned
whether he ought to be allowed to
attend longer. An examination of his
eyes showed that they were astig-
matte to a degree which made it a
physical impossibiIity for him to dis
tinguish one letter from another. The
defect was remedied and he proved t,
be able to learn as we'll as his fell.
lows. This is a very simple story.
yet one whose pathos grows on US
the more we consider it. Think how
the brightness was crushed out of the
little fellow, as he found himself eth
er blamed or pitied by his teacher,
one condition being about as painful
as the other; pointed at as a failure
by his fellows, and most of all com
inc 10