The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-08-22
So Says Member Of Health
Board AS to Medical
Inspection
LAW CONTEMPLATED
MEDICAL PERSON
School Board Not Yet Engaged Woman
as Voted by District 49, DR.. Holton
Says Only Qualified Physician Can
Garry Out Rules.

Although no controversy has arisen
over the action Of the Incorporated
school district in voting to engage a
trained nurse to perform the duties of
medical inspector in the schools, it has
developed incidentally that the pur-
pose to employ such nurse has latent
possibilities Of an interesting ques
ton rs TO the authority Of the district
to proceed along present contemplated
lines.
\ member Of the school board stated
today that no nurse had been engaged,
but that negotiations were III progress
to carry ont the vote Of the district
The decision to have medical inspec-
tion was made SO late in the season.
after most people had made their plans
for the coming year. that the task of
securing Just the right one is not par
tlcularlv easy
The state board Of health is Of the
opinion that the school district Is not
proceeding according to law At the
annual school meeting July - it was
voted to have medical inspection ac-
cordiH@ to the provisions Of Act No.
+ rs of the Acts Of 1870 4 resolutions
was adopted which provided specifcal-
+ N that = female nurse should be en-
Iorcl to make the inspection.
4 representative OF this newspaper
has asked DR. Henry ID. HoIton, a mem
ber Of the state board OF health, for
his views On the matter. DR. Holton
said the act Of the legislature con
templatcd that medical inspection
should he made BIZ a medical person,
q physician, and that a nurse who was
not a physician was not qualified un
der the law to diagnose any case Of
disease. There should be no objection,
he said, in response to a question, to
the school district employing q nurse
to examine the children, but she would
have 10 authority to take any action
50 far as complying with the rules and
regulations Of the state board Of
health, us promulgated under authors
ty of law, was concerned.
Dr. Holton stated that in several
places in the state medical inspection
had been adopted III the schools and
that in every instance the medical i'm
Spector was qualified physician. lie
also added that before engaging the
inspectors the committees had confer
rcd with the state board Of health
relative to the subject.
Section Of the law providing for
medical inspectors saws: q Such meIi-
cal inspectors shall examine the pupils
Of said school, and in all things com
piy with such rules ana regulations a~
may he promulgated by the state
board Of health relating thereto. The
state board of health has issued a set
: Of rules. They provide that the medi-
cal inspector shall make an inspection
i of ali pupils, both in grades and high
school, the first two weeks Of the open
: ing Of the school in September and
small ascertain if any pupil is suffering
from any disability or defect other
5 than defective sight or hearing. tend
ing to prevent such pupil from rcceiv
-ARRoni toim- p
ing the full benefit Of school work
They specify a number of diseases
! such ~ smallpox. scarlet fever. meas
. les. diphtheria, tuberculosis. seabies
7 Pcdiculosis. impetigo. trachoma, acut,
. coniunctivitis etc. The board o.
) health claims that a nurse IS not tn,
II person contemplated by the statute t,
diagnose these diseases. Provisions al
so is made for tn king cultures III sus
pccted nose and throat disease. exam
nations for venereal diseases and san
itary conditions about the schoo
, grounds making reports to town heat
: officers and earring out other duties