Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-10-29
EDITORIAL Consideration This rrnnc ~ scoO Work FINDS u
tnling short Of Expectations

Tho modern Worship OF medical
fetish Ia finding expression Just now
in an enthusiasm for medical inspcc-
ton of school children, which Is en-
tircly dlsproportlonate 10 the amount
OF good that has actually resulted
from experiments hitherto made. The
prO-medlcal journals are praisng this
latest theory OF health conservation,
without due respect for the effects
that have followed rs introductlon
into the public schools There is o.
growing conviction in many quarters
that medical inspection IN failure.
that Il has not done and can never do
what its ardent advocates have claim
cd IL would be able 20 do. II Is also
beginning 10 be suspected that the
"proht' and advantage" which were
80 confidently promised 10 accrue
from medical inspection. have been
confined largely to the doctors who
have conducted the examinations II
Is beginning 20 be- seen. also. that the
expected profit must be translated
In terms of dollars and cents. rather
than IN terms 81 Increased public
health.
Medical opinion abroad II doprecat-
ing the lattcr-day methods OF exploit
ing disease and creating public ox-
element respecting Il. IA would be-
well ~ tho public thought In this
country should gain better porspcct-
i've. with regard 20 these questions OF
health conservation that arc receive
ing such exaggerated attention. Tho
poet Burns shrcwd comment on hui
man nature IL not inapplicahlo to the
craze FOR health protection which is
being fostered by those who have an
economic interest In Il. oh wad
some power tho glftie gle us. TO
see ourselves as thors see us" may
easily apply IS the health faddists OF
today II we could see ourselves as
some calm observers do see US, we
might conclude that the country had
been given over to % shrewd and prof
table commercial exploitation on the
ground that the public health IL in
grave danger ana requires protection
This craze has been very apty called
d" plague OF hygcnics." and Dr
Loosch ~ Budaposth prophcslos: "1f
YOU push 20 logical extremes the
dread OF bacllh. then YOU Will have 10
lock up humanity in "a great vacuum.
surrounded hy storllized glass" The
Russian medical journal Vratsch,
quotes tho opinion Of the late Pro-
fessor Abramon Co tho effect that
"'rhe obossion Of hygiene Is RESPONSE
bile for many nervous and for some
physical ailments"
II medical inspection could he con-
nncd Within sensible and justinabic
limits that ~ to say, II inspection
could bc limited 90 the very proper
question 81 guarding against the
spread OF disease. q Is not likely that
there would be serious objection But
unfortunately medical inspection at
tempts % 90 FAR beyond these reason
able limits and Immediately becomes
impracticable and offensive From
the very nature of the circumstances
physical examinations % school child
rem. ns ut present conducted, are SUI
pcrnrlnl and therefore useless. Whole
sale and necessarily careless physi-
coal examinations accomplish moth
Ing practically good and much that is
60 be- regretted. No matter how much
disease is discovered by the medical
in0uisition, the health Of the chih is
not improved thereby. for tho reason
that diagnosis is not treatment ana
unless compulsory treatment follows
compulsory diagnosis 40 progress lH
being made toward the better health
or the individual pupil.
IN the last analysis, IL must he adj
mlttcd that the solo right 60 care for
the child, To select and provide treat
mont of whatever nature, rests Win
the parent or guardian. Compulsory
treatment is unthinkablc, under
constitutional form of government
such ns ours The Inevitable conNic'
ton follows that the money spent 10y
the state To examine school children
tho money spent merely To discover
that many OF .hcm are defective, u
wnsted. since the state has no mora
or constitutional right to take the es
srntlnl step, merely, to prescribe lh'
method of Graduating these diseased
effects The people ~ Massachusetts
may. with proprioty, manifest som'
curiosity as 90 what b. costs TO main
tain medical inspection In this state
what tho pay rou ~ the ~ schoo
physcians ana IS school nurses OF thi
state amounts TO- and what the peopl'
arc getting for their money
That school inspection ~ not sue