The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-07-17
SOME ASPECTS OF SCHOOL SANITATION
GUSTAV r. RUEDIGER.

nooiSs are provided by the district ana
Lhese books are passed from one pupil
70 another, without being cleansed or
dlsinrected, until they have become 90
nitny tnat even a young child does not
Wisns 70 handle them. Such a practice
rs sure means Of conveying infec-
%ion and should be abolished. An
ptner fruitful source Of infection is the
cQfnmon drinking cup which Is found
III practically every school and puhlic
place. The common drinking cun
should be abolished and Individual
drinking cups, jet fountains. or the
place. N
Medical Inspection Of Schools.
In practically all civilized COM
munities there is medical supervision
over the schools to the extent ihat
children with contagious diseases are
excluded, and when an epidemic di-
sease prevails the schools are 1ls,laIlv
closed. This kind OF medical super-
vision takes into consideration only
those who are in danger Of being ara
icted with some chronic ailrnent or
deformity which may not have been
discovered but is greatly exaggerated
by the conditions OF ordinarv school
life. Does not this unfortunate in
diyidual have right to expect some
consideration and be placed under
conditions where he win have an
equal chance to get On in his studies
and in after life as his associates? If,
child with incipient tuberculosis has
his chances for recovery greatly les
sened by the conditions of ordinary
school life; If child with defective
sight or hearing finds himself unable
to keep up with the rest on account
OF this handicap; or if a child with
adenolds is found to be mentally in
ferior to his healthy classmates, is it
right that we should let them fall by
the Wayside and soon end their miser-
able existence, Or drop out and start
on the road to an inefficient and des-
pondent life2 l think we all agree
that this Is not the proper attitude
to take toward these individuals. but
1t Is the attitude that is constantly
being taken. 1t is not necessary that
we should continue to take this atti-
ftude because we know how to care for
these children.
Provision should be made for a sys-
tematic examination of the heart
lungs, throat, spine, skin and the
higher sense organs 'of every child
when it enters school This examina-
tion may be repeated every one, two
or three years and all defects recorded.
The parents must be notified OF these
defects and advised to take the child
to their physician for treatment or
where this is impossible free treat
ment should be given. In this way
hundreds Of cases OF early tubercu-
losis will be discovered in time for
successful treatment, and hundreds of
cases of defective sight and hearing
can be improved, thus giving these in
dfviduals an equal chance in life with
the others. This form of medical in
spection of the school children is not
an experiment because 1t has been
successfully carried on in many Euro
pean cities, in every city in Massa-
| chusetts and in at least seventy
! other cities in the United States, for
a number of years In most OF these
cities this work is under the control
of the board OF health and IS carried
out by q staff OF physicians. IT is to
be hoped that every city in North Da-
kota will soon have one or more medi-
cal inspectors of their schools, whose
i duty it shall be to make careful sys-
ltematic physical examination Of every
child when it enters school. and at
definite intervals thereafter.