The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-12-08

crease the likelihood of taking cold,
which in itself should be sufficient rea
son for their removal. They do not
know that these cause faulty develop
ment with tendency to tuberculosis,
predispose to middle ear disease and its
danger, produce many reflex disorders
and even a marked degree of mental
dullness.
Defective vision is frequently neglect
ed by the parent with the hope that
the child will eventually outgrow it.
Systematic examination of the eyes of
school children should be made by ex-
pert oculists and in cities where this is
done, very great number of pupils
needing glasses is found each year. 1t
goes without saying that no child can
Withstand the constant annoyance of
eye strain. It produces headache, rest
lessness and nervousness and in many
cases tends to actual i'll health of such
a degree as to effectually bar the child
from school.
Mouth breathing, sore eyes, discharge
from ears, skin affections, etc., are con-
ditions very frequently found among
school children, and in most of all these
cases parents need only to have their
attention called to the seriousness of,
to them, the apparently trifing affec-
tions to have them remedied.
Elaborate statistics regarding any of
the above are to the layman generally
without value. One needs only point
to the uselessness of statistics showing
the beneficial results of vaccination to
be convinced that no generalities will
serve in matters of this kind. It is
only through competent inspectors, de-
tecting such conditions and referring
them to the parent, to be advised later
by the family physician, that the most
good will result, except possibly among
the very poor, in which cases the mu-
nicipality should furnish relief neces-
sary. The education of the parent along
these lines rests mainly with the family
physician, and it is necessary to make
a success of work Of this kind, to have
the active cooperation of the family
physician.
Medical inspection of school children
is conducted as national movement in
France, England, Belgium, Sweden.
Switzerland, Bulgaria, Japan, and the
Argentine Republic. In Germany and
the United States it is found in many
of the cities, In some of these coun-
tries it's scope is very wide indeed. In
some thirty >.cities of Germany free
dental work is included in medical in
spection. The new English national
law provides for thorough work, look
ing not only to the detection of con-
tagious disease, but including also a
complete physical examination at stat
ed intervals.
In practically all of the schools of
this state, the common drinking cup
is used, and local and state boards of
health lamentably failed in their efforts
with school directors to have this filthy
and dangerous method discarded. The
expense of installing fountains, the
lack of proper water supply, and num-
erous other excuses are offered when-
ever this subject arises. In many places,
country districts, for instance, a foun-
tain would be out of the question. How
ever, in these places the individual
drinking cup, sufficient if attended to,
could be used. AS is well known, this
Is almost an impossibility among child
rem and the only absolutely safe plan
is the fountain.
1t is safe to say that few members
Of school board would patronize
restaurant or boarding house in which
water was served to all of it's numer-
Gus patrons from three or four tin cups,
and it is hardly in keeping with the
highest ideals to compel children, in
nocent Of danger, to expose themselves
to those dangers which we ourselves,
from wider experience, absolutely
shun.
The work of the teacher in cases
such as this is rendered worse than
valueless, from the fact that the pupil,
having no way of carrying out the
advice of his teacher. in fact, driven
to do the exact opposite, finally is led
to believe that his teacher must be
misinformed, or else is advocating a
usage in which he himself does not be-
lieve-in either case most disastrous
condition so far as teacher and pupil
are concerned.
Too little attention is paid to the
proper method Of sweeping school room
floors, and when school boards cannot
see their way clear financially to pur-
chase certain strong smelling prepar-
ations to pick up the dust and kill all
it's bacteria, they do nothing. AS re-
suit the floors are swept vigorously
with broom, creating fog of dust
to settle everywhere on the children -
books, on the seats and on the walls
and scattering in the most efectual
manner possible any bacteria that may
be present.