The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-25

summarized. their report shows that
more girls than boys come for treat
ment: that the girls have more defective
teeth than the boys; rs the children
grow older, the number OF dental carries
increases; that the school dentists seek
to save every decayed tooth possible.
Poor parents often find II much cheaper
to have the teeth Of their children ex-
tracted than filled. The dental surgeons
Of the Division of Child Hygiene. how
ever, have made 3.34O amalgam filings
as against 9l5 permanent extractions.
This Is a concrete piece OF preventive
work. During last year they have given
more than 9.947 treatments.
A most interesting result Of this sur
vey is the amount Of retardation found
among the children who came up to the
clinic for treatment. OF 1892 case cards
giving age and grade of these children
treated at the clinics 1t was found that
S2S were within grade for the respective
ages and 566 We're under grade to the
extent of from one to nine years. How
much Of this retardation may be attrib-
uted to the fact that these children are
the victims Of neglect Is not easily
measured. but the fact remains that
nearly half of the number of children
for whom we have Information are re-
tarded on an average to the extent OF
l.s6 years. Although 1t may be true
that all this subnormality cannot be
charged against bad teeth 1t Is true.
however. that their defective physical
condition does not help them rise above
the influences which tend to impair their
efficiency.
SO great is the need for clinics that 1t
has been found that while they were
originally established to serve n wide
area they have been taken advantage
of so largely by the children in the i'm.
mediate vicinity of the clinics that they
have all the patients they can convent
entity handle right at hand. The aver
age distance travelled from the school
the child attends to the clinic was found
to be only las miles.
Approximately 63.23i children are suf-
fering from defective vision. If after
years of inefficient school work due to
inability to see we'll, what can be eX-
pected of them when they go out into
industry?
Horace Mann thoroughly understood
the social purpose of education when he
declared that degeneracy must not only
be considered great calamity but also
Il great lie Silu. rs tne lneNltdDl
consequences of unhealthful habits de-
bility or sickness ensucs, old age is an
ticipatcd. feeble parents are succeeded
by feebler children. the lineage dwindles
and tapers from less to less, the cradle
and swaddling clothes are frequently
converted into the coffin and shroud. oc-
casional contributions are sent off to
dcformity, to idiocy and insanity, until
a - "a
ing and abuse. outraged nature. finding
all her commands broken and admoni-
tons unheeded her punishments con-
temned, applies to the offending family
for the sovereign remedy of extinction.
on broad and firm foundation Of
health alone can the loftlest and most
enduring structure of the Intellect be
reared"
The city of New York spends $40 an
nually on the education Of a school
child. For the health supervision of
school children it spends approximately
but a. cents. There is little question
that the productivity Of the $40 would
he largely increased by increasing the
grants for conserving the health of our
school population.
The real wealth of a nation is not
determined in its counting houses nor in
the enormlty Of its natural resources.
but in the production of race sturdy
in body and keen in intellect
Sidney Webb tells us OF n custom Of
the Australian squatter. who annually
rounds up his uncounted flocks and
herds. II 1t were possible for us to
muster as in monster parade each
child suffering with defective eyesight 1t
would take more than three days and