Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-01-09
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.
.. A. DONOVAN.
Special Columbus Correspondent.
nhf@

.. A. DONOVAN.
, Special Columbus Correspondent.
Columbus, Ohio.
-RHAT 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-
tion of blindness. The state is doing
all it 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 IL
censed incompetents roaming at large,
inflicting 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 acct
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 refers 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 33S prisoners were
sent out on honor in the present year
only Is violated the trust and nine
were recaptured.
Changing conditions under which &
boy lives has brought improved condi
tions at Lancaster, says Capt. r. u
Hastings of the Boys Industrial schoo
there. Under present conditions bo!
is told he is there for one year, bu
that longer continuance is dependen
wholly on his behavior while there
Humanity responds to a promise O
some definite good, Supt Hastings de
clares, and he is convinced the nev
method is a great improvement owe
Ithe old.
The largest problem at the Girls
| home in Delaware is to find suitable
homes for the girls who are ready TO
parole, announces Mrs. John McNa
mara, acting matron there.
/, Pathetic Note In Report.
There is pathetic note. in the re
lport from Supt o. w. Kneale of tn
lOld Soldiers home at Madison. H
was asked if he considered it dut,
Fof the state to maintain the hom
longer. In reply he said there wer
only Sc people there, the average ag
twas 80, some were as old as "a, som
| had been there as long as % years
lit is open for soldiers, sailors, marines
their wives, widows and mothers
Women married to veterans since 189
iare not admitted. There is no hos
pital and no one requiring hospita
care is taken in. Only one in five
admitted as they apply. 1t has bee
possible. he says, to develop and mair
tain the atmosphere of home an
keep it from becoming an institution
and he says If these aged people wer
transferred elsewhere it would b
fatal to many.
Makes No Recommendations
Reporting for the Soldiers home a
Sandusky, Supt w. R. Burnett say
S~~sess~~s~-~s-s~--~~.-e--r
viii Aid Ohio Courts.
1t is expected that Ohio courts wi
have a good chance to get caught u
with the back work when the ne'
workmen's compensation law become
operative in 1914. The new law wi
help matters by automatically cuttin
down or reducing the number of PEI