The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-05-21
Wayne County Health Officer
Tells of Conditions of
Local Schools.
AN INTERESTING PAPER
If WAS READ BEFORE THE VAR
IoUS COUNTY HEALTH OFF,
GERS OF THE STATE IN SEES
SION At INDIANAPOLIS.

Wayne county, spoke yesterday be-
fore the various county health officers
Of the state. His address was on the
subject of conditions found existing in
some of the schools Of Wayne coun-
ty and was an extremely interesting
paper. 1t was as follows:
| What can the county health commits
sioner do to better the hygenic con-
dition of schools?
| One morning about the middle OF
last February. was called to Web
ster, village six miles north of Rich
mond, to see patient who lived next
door to the school house. was
through prescribing for the patient
about the time school took up. AS
had few minutes to spare / decided
to visit the school house.
Entering the primary room found
1.-THE superintendent down on his knees
poking at q smoky stove. The Their
mometer was down to 30 degrees. the
children had on their wraps and tears
we're running down their cheaks on
account of the smoke in the room.
found that the other rooms were not
SO bad so I had the primary classes
taken to another room.
Dodeed the Questions.
! asked the superintendent about
the state of affairs but he seemed I'M
willing to tell me anything. Being
treasured he said that these condi-
tons had existed for several years
but that he had been afraid to COM
| lot P0p hot hn
position. l then saw the trustee and
told him that the heating and ventila-
ting would have to be changed before
another school year. How many other
schools in the county were in that
condition? l now began to wonder. At
the next meeting Of the county board
of health I asked the board to permit
me to inspect the schools of the coun-
Ity. They allowed 1t. SO then l con-
suited with the county superintendent
of the schools and asked his cooper
alton. He told the trustees Of the In
TENDED inspection and then as I was
with that trustee to go with me to
see the schools of his township. Then
as we went from school to school I
told him what l wished to accomplish
land as much about the sanitation OF
lschool houses as l could. l pointed
out the defects and when I found a
good sanitary provision I admired it.
| Outside Conditions.
| began by taking in the outside
Iconditions-was the school well stu.
ated, the soil and drainage and were
the grounds large enough? The
walks, the closets, the water and the
building itself. What it was built ol
and it's foundation. These l discussed
with the trustee.
| Then 1 went inside. Here the con
ditions were more under the control
lof the teacher. But first considered
the amount of light now it came into
the room and the size of the room.
asked a pupil to measure the room
and the windows and told them how
to work out whether there was suffi
! cient light and floor and air space
trying to show them and the teacher
where they might better their condi
lions and what ideal conditions were
As most of the buildings were heated
by stoves and ventilated by the doors
and windows going into the room of
ten told me whether these things wert
properly regulated. The blackboard
the walls and the floors next attract
ed my attention. So often the teacher
: forgot to look at the desks before she
, |put children in them. Often a low
, seat and a high desk or a low desl
, and high seat. places where no ciile
, could be comfortable or sit properly
The children were invariably placed
, according to class and if pupil was
, a little slow and large for his age o.
, perhaps small his seat was sure to b.
because Of some defect in sight OF
hearing was often at the back of tns
. room the farthest away from the
teacher and blackboard.
: Could be Corrected.
Those conditions the teacher coult
correct l called her attention ant
those unsatisfactory conditions l sug
gested to the trustee to change TIT
trustee who had just entered the tern
. of office always promised to max.
the changes that I suggested an.
. seemed anxious to improve thei
schools. / told them that l was com
ing back when school took up agail
. to see how they had bettered thei
schools.
Throughout the county the closetl
we're unsanitary and without screens
some in a very filthy condition ex
: cept a few dry closets in new schoo
= houses where other sanitary provis
, ions we're OF the latest However tn,
I closets of the country school is prob
= lem for which I haven't yet worke,
tout good solution The flies in tn,
. fall. when they have collected s,
: great a number of bacteria from feta
. matter are menace with the closet
and school houses unscreened. / hav,
asked the trustees to screen the clos
! let's and to use ashes or air slacke,
lime The old trustees had been
VERY gullible lot when it came to bus
ing disinfectants- For instance
found in nearly every township tina
1.-THE trustee had bought diozo what b.
= thought was a disinfectant. It is
! small tin box containing somethin,
> that gives off pungent odor will
t holes Ike pepper box In each side
bI4 - boon explained tn them that NJ