Evening star., 1909-05-17


by the one nurse who worked in the
schools for three months recently will be
used to demonstrate to the men on Capt.
tol Hill the need for such service in the
schools.
Mr.. Macfarland's Statement.
Washington should not be behind other
cities in providing public school nurses.
declared Commissioner Macfarland to-
day. "In connection with the medical
inspection Of schools, school nurses have
been found elsewhere to be OF imperative
necessity.
Realizing this the District Commits
siOners. last session, asked Congress for
an appropriation for two school nurses
for the city Of Washington. Their re-
quest was deferred by Congress. 1t will
be renewed next session.
Because Congress deferred action and
with the consent and approval of the
Commissioners the health officer and the
board of education the Instructive Visit
Ing Nurse Society. at its own expense. un-
dertook to furnish the services OF a
trained nurse for three months. to work
under the medical inspectors and demon
strate the value of the nurses co-opera-
tion and assistance. The nurse began
her work January o and ended it April Q.
During that time she visited twelve
schools in the southwest and northwest
districts of the city; 3,175 children came
]. under her immediate observation in the
schools. 73O being referred to the medical
her to the children in their homes: 21O
cases were sent to dispensaries. Sc to
family physicians and 26 to dentists.
Report on Nurses Work.
THE work was well done and profit
able. as the following report will show:
Il A white girl, aged fourteen. had play
ed truant most Of her life. Her home
conditions were bad. The nurse took the
girl to dispensary. where examination
showed that the child was nearly blind
In one eye from lack of glasses. Many
trips were made with her to the dispen-
sary and much time devoted to her, the
nurse obtaining glasses for her through
special fund for such purposes. She now
comes regularly to school.
In inspecting a colored school the
nurse found a child suffering with scabies
contagious skin disease This child had
been going to school regularly. as her
condition has escaped the notice of the
teachers. The child was excluded. her
home visited and her mother advised to
consult physician which was done. As
the case was stubborn the child did not
return to school for nearly two month
She was then practically cured.
3. A case of pediculoss. The pupil has
been excluded repeatedly. The nurse Wis
tied his parents and found they did not
understand how to properly care for the
head. They were instructed as to the
treatment. and the pupil returned to
school in few days and has not been
since excluded. A case similar to this
was kept out of school for a whole year.
owing to the parents ignorance as to the
necessary treatment, and many other
cases besides Of minor contagious dis
eases are excluded from the schools and
remain away from them because the par
ents do not heed the instructions written
on the exclusion cards. The medical in
spector has done his part, but it remains
for the nurse to follow up those cases.
and impress upon the parents the neces-
sity and advantage Of following the medi-
cal inspectors directions.
-. child of ten years Of age had
rheumatism. from which acute conjunc-
tivitis developed. The usual exclusion
followed and the nurse found on her inst
visit that nothing had been done to re-
lieve condition which, neglected, would
child to the Eye. Ear and Throat Hos
pital. where he is still under treatment
and daily getting better.
Is. A girl in third grade excluded re-
peatediy on account of ringworm. a con-
tagious skin disease. was acquiring the
vagrant habit. and her mother could not
understand the reason for her constant
exclusion. The nurse explained the cause
and advised dispensary treatment, and
the girl returned to school shortly Many
cases of such enforced idleness, usually
the result of ignorance on the part of the
parents. lead finally to the Juvenile court.
Value Proven Elsewhere.
THE nurses work does not Interfere
with that of the medical inspector It is
supplementary to 1t. and has been proved
elsewhere to largely increase the value
OF his work and leave him free to de-
vote his time to the more serious cases
s. w. Newmayer of Philadelphia terms
the school nurse the most important ad-
junct to medical Inspection
DR.. Thomas F. Harrington director OF
the department Of school hygiene of
Boston. writes: 1t does not seem possible
10 conceive more satisfactory arrange
ment or more effective piece of school
machinery than the school nurse under
school supervision
That this movement, so needed in
washington is not an untried experiment
may be seen from the following state
ment:
The first regular employment of train
ed nurses In connection with the work or
medical inspection was in December 1902
in New York city. when corps OF twelve
nurses was established. That the result
ot the nurses work made itself INSTANTLY
felt can be seen from the following data
as TO the number OF exclusions from the
New York schools in the single month OF
september. before and after their es-
tablishment
In 1902 before the nurses started
work. lO.561 children were excluded In
september. 1909. with the nurses in the
schools. only 11O1 were excluded New
York now has staff consisting of a SUI
perintendant and about 100 nurses.
Nurses in Other Cities.
Boston has one supervising nurse and
thirty-four assistant nurses. philadelphia
has six nurses and a supervising nurse
Baltimore has five nurses Cleveland has
four nurses. New Haven has one nurse.
Chicago Los Angeles. Grand Rapids. etc.
have also established school nursing.
THE school nurse may properly be call
ed the teacher OF the parents. pupils and
teachers In practical hygiene. Her work
reduces the number of Exclusions for con-
tagious diseases. She cures minor all
ments In the school and furnishes efficient
aid In emergencies.
She gives practical demonstrations In
the homes of required treatments often
discovering there the source of the
trouble, which. Ii undiscovered, would
render useless the work OF the medical
inspe1 tor in the school. From all points
OF. view the school nurse Is the most
efficient possible link between the school
and the home.
From the results accomplished in the
city OF Washington In short a period
II Is to be hoped that Congress may rec