The copper era., 1910-03-24

In New York the division of child
hygiene of the department of health
and the city superintendent of schools
have arranged to examine for,physical
fitness all school children who are
applying for work certificates before
they get their certificate of educa-
tional fitness. Heretofore, the
examination has been made in one
central place. Now in each school
the principal asks the school physician
to examine candidates for work GER
tifcates and the principal who knows
the child and the parent, will explain
the Importance of having teeth, eyes,
nose and lungs in normal, sound con-
dition before the child joins tie in
.dustrial army.
Several cities have written "We
want to do this but we are unable to
get the money!" or "Our city fathers
do not seem to think that it is worth
wtile,'' or CIVIL you please show US
how we can do this without funds"
To these the Bureaus statement
replies that, almost without excep-
ton, every city has dentists, physi-
clans and nurses who will be willing,
at no expense to the public, to
examine 100, 200 or 500 children to
show how serious the defects are, and
to demonstrate the value both of dis
covering the defects and of having
nurses and physicians see that family
physicians and parents remedy these
defects. In fact, in almost every
city, the first move has been made by
a volunteer body Miss Lillian Valid,
of New York City, loaned a nurse
from the Nurses Settlement to make
the first inspections in New York
City, from which staff of $50 physi-
clans and 142 nurses has grown. In
Minneapolis, the Associated Charities
made the first test with volunteer
the Chamber of Commerce made a
demonstration The accident of
volunteer interest is, in fact, the
reason why some cities begin with
dental examination, and others with
eyes or adenoids or skin diseases.
The needs are so certain and the
results of proper attention so obvious
and conclusive, that teachers and
superintendent need only TO ask one
or more professional men to make the
first move.
Moreover, a great part of the work
can be done by teachers themselves
in finding out the more serious cases
OF eye trouble, breathing troubles
and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. The super in
tendent of city schools of .Almeda,
Calf, wrote: "Out of an enrolment
of about $500 pupils, we find that
more than 300 are afflicted with
physical defects observable even to
the eye of the layman."
The Bureau, therefore, suggests to
every city uperintendeut that teach.
ers be allowed to take the little time
necessary to pick out and make list
of the children who, to the layman S
eye, are in need of attention. In
rural schools, as well as city schools,
nearly one in three will have trouble
with the eyes; nearly one in five will
be mouth breatherS, because OF too
large tonsils or adenoid grow 5hs;
every now and then there is one with
nervous trouble or St. Vitus dance;
and certainly more than one in every
school who is obviously predisposed to
tuberculosis. In Massachusetts,,
Minnesota, Iowa, New York, Texas
and OHIO. country children are found
to be even worse off than city children,
because they have the defects and
the communicable diseases without
the examination and the dispensaries
and clinics and relief agencies so
near to city children.
New jerseys experience in making
medical examination and inspection
compulsory without either providing
state funds or insuring local funds is
not much more satisfactory than that
Of Louisiana, for example, or Maine,
making appointment of physician
optional with localities. Too many
localities do nothing. In striking
contrast is the Indiana state law
providing that cities of over 100,0
shall set aside 'one-half per cent.
per hundred of the taxables of the
city, irrespective of what the tax
levying limit of the city may be, for
the inspection of school children in
private, public, parochial and kinder
garten schools" 1t also provides for
nurses in conjunction with this work.
The Bureau of Municipal Research
has prepared for distribution a list of
cities and states that are both get
ting information about defects and
taking steps to remove these defects.
1t suggests, however, that the
supreme need throughout the country
is that the state superintendent of
education and state secretaries of
health shall establis clearing houses
of information which will show volun-
teers and officials in country and city
not only what ought to be done and
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