The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-03-01
MEDICAL INSPECTION OF THE
SCHOOLS
BY Geo. e. Hyde, M. d..

BY Geo. e. Hyde, M. d..
Reprinted from Northwest Medicine,
Seattle, WASH, Dec, 1911.
In the consideration of this subject
would like it to include the sani-
tary inspection of the school build
ing and grounds, as well as the med
ical examination of the pupils.
Nearly 20,o00,000 children in the
United States are compelled by law
to attend the public schools. In Ida
no last year 10000 children attend
ed our schools. If the state can force
these children into the school room,
there is an implied responsibility on
the part of the state that none shall
suffer or deteriorate physically nor
mentally, by reason of such attend
ance.
The public school system of our
state is a splendid institution, and the
edl Gators, from the state superinten-
dent down to the overworked teacher
in the mixed school, form noble ar
my of enthusiastic workers for the
benefit of the children committed to
their charge. But cry has arisen all
over the civilized world that the
]. physical growth and normal develop
ment of the child must not be sacri-
ot ho oh nf fo1 ndr
ton, and that the two must go hand
in hand-physical as we'll as mental
growth and development until they
shall become SO co-ordinated as to
train the child to the most useful
and best citizenship.
France appears to have been the
first nation to take up this import
ant work. BY the school law of 1873
medical as well as sanitary inspec-
ton was made obligatory in all
French schools, public and private.
Germany took up the movement in
1889. 1t then spread to Austria, Nor
way, Sweden, Switzerlanderland and
then to England. In all these cOun-
tries it is now national in it's scope.
1t is also in operation in Chilli, the
Argentine republic and in Japan.
Frederick J. Haskin states that
1.-The Japanese system of medical in
spection extends all over the empire
nhar fh1 CT rnn tn yrvsoI
community. Thus the Japanese de-
partment of education is able to tell
how many children are in school in
the empire, how many are robust,
medium or weak, how many have de-
fective eyesight, and what diseases
are most prevalent at different ages
of school life"
Boston and New York were the
first cities to take hold Of the work
in our country, and the movement
has grown until 43 per cent of the
schools of our cities have medical in
spection.
Very little has been attempted in
Idaho on these lines. The state
board of health, in their rule V, re-
quires that the county physician shall
report, on or about Sept. LIST of each
year, the sanitary condition of the
public schools of the county in which
he resides. These reports show that
the majority of our boards of educa-
ton are doing all in their power to
provide the school children with suit
able buildings and apparatus, but our
efforts should not cease until all the
children attending the public schools
are provided with sanitary and COM
Portable environments. The sanitary
inspection should show that the pu-
pills have clean, comfortable, prop
erly heated and well-ventilated school
building, sufficiently lighted and
furnished with properly adjusted
seats and desks; that pure drinking
water is supplied with suitable san
itary device, also that adequate SAN
itary facilities and Fairgrounds are
provided.
The Importance of the proper heat
ing and ventilation of our school
rooms is generally underestimated.
AS cold weather approaches, there is
a tendency to keep school rooms over
heated. Experiments were made a
short time ago in Indiana, in order
tc ascertain the effect of different
temperatures upon school activity.
The pupils were all selected from one
grade, the sixth, but were not in
formed as to the true nature of the
experiments. They were told, how
ever that they were to undergo some
mental tests. The results are as fol-
lows.
The class with the room at tenn
perature of 80 degrees F. were rest
less, dull and incapable of contin-
ued effort. Those in the room at rs Il
7