The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-01-08
SAYS BLINDNESS
ISPREVENTABLE
Expert Asserts Many Cases
Could Have Been Stopped.
PUTS SOME BLAME ON M.D.'S
Head Of State institution Declares
Large Number of Physicians Are
Careless at Births-Pen
Warden Reports.
o. A. DONOVAN.
Special Columbus Correspondent.
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Special Columbus Correspondent.
Columbus, Ohio.
TNHAT one-half of the blindness in
Ohio is preventable and that %
per cent of all the cases in the
state school for the blind could
have been prevented are surprising
statements made in the special report
of Supt. Edward M. Van Cleve Of the
Columbus School for the Blind to the
state board of administration. Insist
ing this Is startling showing and
ought to arouse interest, he explains
methods employed in the past year to
awaken public interest in the preven-
ton of blindness. The state is doing
all 1t can for the blind, but what he
wants done Is campaign for prevent
ing blindness of the new born. Nearly
one-third of the cases that have come
to the school since it was opened have
been caused by baby sore eyes, and
every case could have been prevented
by proper and timely medical attention,
Supt. Van Cleve declares. He makes
criticisms against many practicing
physicians, declaring there are Ii
censed incompetents roaming at large,
inf1icting untold misery and suffering.
AS part of the campaign for prevent
Ing blindness he recommends more
stringent regulation Of physicians.
Forty per cent Of deafness Is from
congenital causes, according to Supt.
J. w. Jones of the State Deaf school
here in his report to the board. Most
Of these cases can be traced, and the
marriage of blood relatives is one Of
the most fruitful causes. Blood taints
are responsible for many and acci-
dents and illness cause the rest.
Combating tuberculosis.
Two lines of activity in combating
tuberculosis are pointed out by Dr.
S. A. Douglass of the state sanitarium
at Mt. Vernon in his report. One is
the eradication of the disease in the
home, if possible; the proper sanitary
safeguards while the case is there and
the removal of predisposing causes
that are outside. He ref$s to untidy
and unhealthy working places and in
sanitary conditions. He advocates the
treatment Of the disease in the most
vigorous manner at the appearance of
the first symptom.
Colonization, permanent segregation
and sterilization are the only means
of preventing epilepsy, according to
DR.. G.. G. Kineon, superintendent of
the state hospital at Gallipolis, in his
report. If no more epileptics were
born, society would be confronted only
with those now on earth, he says, and
society owes itself the duty of pre-
venting others being born.
Defends Honor Syst-m.
Defending the honor system, War
den P. E. Thomas Of the penitentiary
shows that while 338 prisoners were
sent out on honor in the present year,
only Is violated the trust and nine
we're recaptured.
Changing conditions under which
boy lives has brought improved condi-
tions at Lancaster, says Capt. R. U.
Hastings of the Boys Industrial school
there. Under present conditions boy
is told he is there for one year, but
that longer continuance is dependent
wholly on his behavior while there.
Humanity responds to a promise of
some definite good, Supt. Hastings de-
clares, and he is convinced the new
method is a great Improvement over
the old.
The largest problem at the Girls
home in Delaware is to find suitable
homes for the girls who are ready for
parole, announces Mrs. John McNa-
mara, acting matron there.
Pathetic Note in Report.
There is pathetic note in the re-
port from Supt. o. w. Kneale of the
Old Soldiers home at Madison. He
was asked if he considered it duty
Of the state to maintain the home
longer In reply he said there were
only Sc people there, the average age
was 80, some were as old as 81, some
had been there as long as 2: years.
1t Is open for soldiers, sailors, marines,
their wives, widows and mothers.
Women married to veterans since 1890
are not admitted. There is no hos
pital and no one requiring hospital
care is taken in. Only one in five is
admitted as they apply. 1t has been
possible, he says, to develop and main
tain the atmosphere of home and
keep it from becoming an institution,
and he says if these aged people were
transferred elsewhere it would be
fatal to many
Makes No Recommendations
Reporting for the Soldiers home at
Sandusky, Supt. ". r. Burnett says
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Will Aid Ohio Courts.