The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-22
RURAL SCHOOL HYctfNY
Proper Medical and San,,ar, ,..
vision Necessary
GU. S. Health SERVE,

y % lCditH NFTNfNt.
In a short paper in the W..it.
Public Health Reports Of Ses,,.mt}
II, 1914, the need Of mora- moi.
cal and sanitary s~upervlsio al r,,,.l
schools is emphasized. pA>ntfa ,.
fact that the necessary requir~marts
Of school hygienece are known r.-.4
communities have been SLOW ta t.t.
advantage of this knowledge D.
cause the element Of eNpeuSe ana ma
want of trained sanitary advisors Tn.
Jack OF sanitary supervision Ina ia
construction and m-a!ntenan-e -
rural school buildings and ot medical
supervision of the pupils MI r~-
vealed during the recent investl.s-
ion carried out by Officers pf the
Public Health Service during which
a total of $50 schools in nlnc state.
were inspected by Service officer ca
gagged in the work during The ~rh4f.
astic e
In a of rural communities
it was found that the school attend
ance was small, although the rhHI
population of these district was rela-
lively large. It is believed that ta-
attention to the proper construction.
equipment and maintenance of school
buildings and the proper adjustment
of the curriculum to the capacities -
the child will largely prevent ~uch
absences from school and VIII re-
duce Juvenile delinquency Tn" neg
leCt of sanitary supervision Of Schools
in these communities results not only
in injury to the child through ma
bility to take advantage OF the mp
~pOrtunity for intellectual traIrIuG hr
reason of the presence of otherwise
preventable and durable defects. bat
also in actual ~calcuiable monetary
loss through loss Of time in school
attendance.
The duty of the State with respect
to safeguarding the physical and
mental health Of the school pupula-
ton is patent. The necessity of TINS
protection to rural communities If
great because, according to the l4lo
census there are over 5000. 600 more
children in attendance III Tura|
schools than in urban. Furthermore
medical inspections in this and other
countries have revealed a high per
centage of physical defects among
children hat are largely preVentA-
BILE n durable. There are nuneT-
GUS children in rural communities
who are suffering from defects OF thi
nature, by reason Of the want %
this nature, by reason OF the wan
OF skilled medical advice.
In the course Of th.se investlea
CioAAS IL O4XlCSl u liz L UNIV A1'H-'
Service found more han 10 per cen
OF the pupils in u rural schools SUI
fering from trachOma n more ma
20 per cent in II schools. The neg
lect of sanitary precautions Will taF'
the continued spread of this disets
and the only hope for compiet" rra1
IcatlOn lies in the education OF IA
rising generation.
1t is the exception to find sanitaT
privies provided for the use Of rHrA
school children. In a umbe OF -
stances no privy accommodations ~FT
provided and soil pollution IN IN
vicinity Of the school house was ~
dent. IN one county. IL cases o. ~
phOld fever with two deaths |"T
traced to the infected wells Of L"
schools in the year preceding thes
investigations.
The ape concludes with the Tr'
concentration that wherever full-tlH
NJ attn officers are not availabie ~
Cause OF lack of funds. the ration
combination Of the duties OF heat
officer with hat Of the medical >.
pervision of schools would MAKE -
employment of such an officer pro-
tlCdDlH and profitable