Norwich bulletin., 1913-10-14
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Schools Public But Children Are Not.

Mr. Editor: The following clipped from an editorial in a Boston news paper voices few of the many ob- jections to medical inspection of chil- dren in our schools:
 That school inspection is not a sue cess is admitted by some of its most GuIick of New York, formerly with the Russell Sage Foundation, says: A rather careful examination of the results of medical inspection of all cities reporting in the United States, makes it clear that the hopes of those who have been defending medical in spection has apparently not been a to any great extent Medical in spec atiOn has apparently not been a deterrent of the spread of contagious diseases, as it's advocates claimed it would be. Inspection of school chil- dren was begun in Chicago in 1908, and since that time several forms of reportable diseases have increased alarmingly, according to the statistics of the Chicago board of health. Sim liar conditions are to be noted in New ' York city and other large cities of the country.
 t'Of the many objections which have been urged against the system of school inspection, two may here be briefly noted. It is generally known among the profession, if not among the laity, that the class of men who are employed as school physicians are not fairly representative of dignity and ability of the medical profession. Most of them are young and fnexperi- enced doctors, and this constitutes in the minds of the parents a very se- rious argument against the physical examination of their children. Dr. Gulick says in this connections: A large fraction of all the medical eX- aminers of schools in the United States are young men recently out of medical schools, who are doing the work as a stepping stone to medical practice. Their interest is not in school hygiene, but in the practice of medicine.'
 Another objection is that all of the medical inspection now in force, is conducted by physicians who belong to one school of medicine. This has furnished ample ground for protest. from members of other schools, as these physicians proceed with their examinations from the basis of their particular medical theory, and this in the opinion of many, amounts to state medicine There are those who ask why the state seemingly discrifnin-
  and prefers the alI0pathie school in all it's appointments, and the inquiry naturally arises as t6 whether, by So d6ihgs the e6mfn6nw edith does not officially ssb6uss all6pathy.
 After all is said and done, the whole business of school inspection comes down to the practical question What does it accomplish When the mex orable test of results is applied, the experiment. is found to be a failure It has not accomplished what was claim ed for it. It has not decreased the prevalence of contagious disease, as statistics show. It has not decreased the number of detectives or diseased children, for the simple reason that nothing has been done and nothing can be done by the government to treat the conditions which may be laid bare by the examination of the chill dren.
 "So far as can be discovered, what ever has resulted from medical inspec- ton has been regrettable. The insis tent discussion of disease before the children, the alarming and oftentimes mistaken reports to parents from teachers and school doctors the fol- low-up visits of school nurses, are all calculated unduly to emphasize tho fear of disease and to create an 1in- reasonable panic in the minds of parents and children, which actually makes for disease. and ts. in many respects more dangerous and more to be- avoided than some of the trifiing. alleged defects which are made ths basis for sensational reports. That cruel and 'hssd1sSA suffering has been caused by the operation of medical in- speetioa in the schools. cannot be doubted fhafe have been instances of gross and criminal mistakes of di- agnosis which have made whole families uHhaPPy aHd have caused phys ysieal diseeFd which never should have been
 it is very much t0 be h6Bed that tha American people will seen come t6 take a sane view 6f this subject 6f medical supervision iH tRe Pubiie schools and PHt a stop ts thR plague of hygiaHieS7 that is devastating the tEeasuFies sf the states where it has been fully aeeeRted.'
 Fhe Rersis isteaee shs#R by health ef- ficers throughout the country in eeaa polling vacciRatieas as 8 prerequisite to obtaining Ia education is of itself a sufficient reason for opposing raedi- cal inspection, u is well fey ths