The Washington herald., 1912-01-28
NEED CARE AND TRAINING.

NEED CARE AND TRAINING.
There is grave misunderstanding OF
many of the simple truths about chill
dren and their health. For the better
ment OF the human race. it is essential
that the children. who will in a few
years be in charge OF the nation. be given
the best possible training and care. The
health, the education. and the resultant
earning capacity and value as citizens,
OF the children, is jeOpardized in many
instances by the inattentiOn Of parents
and teachers to obvious facts. II is my
wish to call your attention to the eyes
of the child, and to the many far-reach-
ing results OF neglect in their care.
Do you know that from one-fourth to
one-third OF the blind owe their condi-
ton to the neglect of physician or mid
wife TO instill one drop OF medicine in
each eve OF the child at its birth? A
simple precaution, but with what fright
full results Is its neglect fraught! The
best IS none too good. How applicable
this to the treatment necessary during
a mothers confinement, that time when
lack of attention TO details may cause
untold future misery to herself or to her
child, Nidwives though licensed by the
authorities, as they are in the District
Of Columbia, are at best but ignorant
persons, having little or no knowledge
OF the simplest medical truths. They
are unprepared to handle emergencies,
and the children pay the penalty. l
therefore urge the mothers to call IN
competent physicians instead OF unskilled
and dangerous midwives.
Many in Need Of Glasses.
A systematic study Of the defective
school children In New York City proved
that a very large percentage OF them
owed their backwardness in study to the
need OF glasses. Many children called
'stupid' do not see well, and can be
cured, or at least greatly helped, BY at
tention to their eyes.
II the act OF reading is an undue ef-
fort to the child, It Will manifest itself
by some one OF the usual symptoms,
which are easily seen. There Is often
a crusting Of the lids along the line Of
the lashes: a twitching OF the eyes;
partly closing the lids 10 help the sight:
frownIng; Redeemed eyes; holding the
book too near: the flow Of tears when
reading. A child may complain OF a
blur. or of WEAKNESS or heeviness. after
reading a few minutes, or Of eye or head
aches which are apt to oe Increased by
studying.
The presence or any OF uhese Signs
should draw attention to the eyes. So
far-rsachinC are the effects Of eye strain
upon the health that migraine, general
nervousness. St Vitus dance, nausea,
and other gastric disturbances, are often
caused by Il. A child who has never
seen properly, or who has certain eye
or head aches, has no means OF know,
ing what or how he ought to see. He
does NOT realizs that other children have
better vision. or more comfortable sight;
hence he NAV not call the attention of
his parents to his need. in this par
ticuIar the magnificent work OF the
school physicians In the District OF Coz
lumbia in examining the eyes OF every
scholar is a most notable advance In the
direction of the chlld's welfare
1 wish to emphasize tho difference be-
tween an oc,Iisst and an optieian. The
oc,iiist Is 2 graduate physician, and In
addition e especially skilled In the treat
me,f of tbe ewes. The optician makes
ami soils spectacIes: In the majority OF
instances he also ndvcrtises to examine
ewes. So delicate Is the eye, SO inn
portant Is the correct performance OF its
functions. and so far reaching are the
rcguIts Of its nistreatment, that II should
be IN the hands only OF those best cap
able of the work.
A very common aud much neglected
condition Is ''cruss sed eyes" or strabis-
mus while in many instances this
trouble is attributed to fan, yet sell
dom is stich an accident more than
The real cause Is an error
which In the majority Of cases can be