Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-03

wasted, since the state has no moral
or constitutional right to take the
essential step, namely, to prescribe
the method of eradicating these dis
eased effects. The people may, with
propriety. manifest some curiosity as
to what it costs to maintain medical
inspection.
That school inspection is not sue
cess is admitted by some of its most
prominent opponents. DR.. Luther H.
Gulick of New York, formerly with
the Russell Sage foundation. says: "a
rather careful examination of the re-
suits of medical inspection of all cities
reporting in the United States, makes
it clear that the hopes Of those who
have been defending medical inspec-
ton have not yet been realized, to any
great extent" Medical inspection has
apparently not been a deterrent of the
spread Of contagious diseases, as its
advocates claimed it would be. In
spection of school children was begun
in Chicago in 1908, and since that
time several forms Of reportable dis
eases have increased alarmingly, &C
cording to the statistics of the Chicago
board of health. Similar conditions
are to be noted in New York City and
Iother large cities of the country.
OF the many objections which have
been urged against the system -
school inspection, two may here
briefly noted. 1t is generally Er~
among the profession, if not amonc
laity, that the class of men who g.
employed as school physicians are not
fairly representative of the dignity
and ability of the medical profession.
Most of them are young and inexperi-
enced doctors, and this constitutes. in
the minds Of many parents very seri-
Gus argument against the physical ex-
animation of their children. DR..
Gulick says, in this connection: "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 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
furnished ample ground for protest,
from members Of other schools, as
we'll as from the laity. Naturally,
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 discriminates
against all other medical methods, and
prefers the allopathic school in all it's
appointments, and the inquiry natur-
ally arises as to whether, by so doing,
the commonwealth does not officially
|espouse allopathy.
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 failure
1t has not accomplished what was
claimed for it. 1t has not decreased
the prevalence of contagious diseases,
as statistics show. 1t has not de-
creased the number of defective or
diseased children, for the simple rea.
son that nothing has been done and
nothing can be done by the govern
ment to treat the conditions which
may be laid bare by the examination
of the children.
So far as can be discovered. what.
ever has resulted from medical inspec-
ton has been regrettable. The insist
ent discussion Of disease before the
children the alarming and oftentimes
mistaken reports to parents from
teachers and school DOCTORS the
folow-up visits of school nurses, are
all calculated to emphasize unduly the
fear of disease and to create an un-
reasonable panic in the minds of par
ents and children. which actually
makes for disease, and is, in many
respects. more dangerous and more to
be avoided than some of the trifiing,
alleged defects which are made the
basis for sensational reports. That
cruel and needless suffering has been
caused by the operation of medical
inspection in the schools, cannot be
doubted. There have been instances
of gross and criminal mistakes Of
diagnosis which have made whole
families unhappy and have caused
, ra...Es., s.s 1898