Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-01-10

detect these early often eliminates In
loss OF sight or even life. Last sum-
mer a young man was referred to the
author. He had red, painful. and al
ready irretrievably blind eye. He re-
ported himself as having been many
weeks under the care OF an optician
who had advised him that properly ut
ted glasses was all that was necessary
to cure him. The optic nerve was
found to be badly diseased, but early
and proper treatment would have saved
the sight. Fitting glasses constitutes
treatment Of disease, since II supplied
when unnecessary or Improperly fitted
when required may not infrequently
produce disease or exaggerate that al
ready presents
When the public better understand
the responsibility involved in the fit
ting Of glasses laws will be enacted
combining this work to those properly
qualified and this will UNNECESSARILY
safeguard the public health.
Present Frequency Of Glass Wsarers.
How often are we asked why so
many wear glasses now. The answer
is that mentality in this strenuous and
cultured age has become the only guar
antor of success and responsibility, so
that children with unstable nervous
systems and malformed eyes, many of
them inherited from generations Of eye
strain sufferers, are sent to school at
tender ages without specia .AHedical at
tention. Then. too, the puLSe and pro-
fession are becoming more familiar
with the influence OF defective eyes
ever health and the possibilities of re-
lief by glasses and Furthermore the OPP
thalmologist himself is more skillful in
this art thar he was fifteen years ago.
The parent has no moral right to eX-
pose his child to handicap In compe-
tition with his fellows at school which
may shorten his career or jeopardize
his health.
Responsibility of School Boards.
1t is authoratively stated that 80
per cent Of eyes are born sufficiently
defective to become subsequent sources
of disease.
Millions of children the world over
suffer from eye strain with little
chance of assistance or relief since the
state permits them to attend school
without first ascertaining their physi-
cal fitness to combat with its require
ments and so they are left to discover
later when health has fled and educa-
ton been lost what little fore
thought from their natural protectors
could have saved them.
If school boards would incorporate
into their curricula course purposed
to teach children the probability of tae
effectiveness of all eyes; the influence
of eye strain over health and disease;
familiarity with the commoner symp-
toms and diseases arising from eye
strain; the influence of poor health
over previously good eyes; the neces-
sity of suspecting the eyes and having
them frequently examined and how to
protect them while studying, it would
tend to insure the success of their
school life and their maintenance Of
health and be of incalculable value to
them in future years.
Summary.
Preventive medicine may, reit-
crate. is symbolical of the spirit Of
! the profession and the progress of the
age. e.a,r eJ
1t is idealistic and accCrds with rea :
son, justice and philosophy and no
where is this more clearly exemplified
than when applied to the examination
and correction of muscle and refrac-
tional errors in children. We are then
building for society, for posterity. and
for state. e Ia .r 49, rl
1t is the bounden dntya Of, us all to
protect our children and at the same
time to bequeath to future generations
the legitimate heritage OF sound minds
and healthy bodies and high index of
intellectual and moral life.