The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-21
child IApoR.

CHILD LABOR
The University Of Vienna has estab-
Hshed chair Of social medicine. Al
industrial hygiene is the most impor-
tant branch of this subject. Professor
Teleky, the head Of the department.
early became interested in tuberculosis
~ an Industrial disease. ana logically
was led to study the effects Of different
occupations on wage-earning children
with a predisposition to this disease. He
found that in Germany Al we'll AZ In
Austria there ID an unduly high tuber-
cu1osis rate among youthful wage-eArn-
ers. Kayserling has shown that while
In Berlin the Tuberculosis death rate for
all the later years OF life has fallen
since 1900. no diminution has been found
In the death rate for children of wage
earning age. Won Pirquet attributes
tho rise in the tuberculosis morbidity
rate during the years between Is and
20 to overstrain and undernutrition in
apprenticeship life.
Teleky has shown that sickness in
creases among children who leave
school for work. The increase during
the first year Of work II not great. but
in the second and third years it is pro-
nounced. and in the fourth year II high
er than the first.
He then took up the question of con-
troll Of the choice of occupation 30 that
some regard might be given to the well
fare Of the child. and that underde-
veloped children, predispOsed to tuber-
culosis. might be kept out Of occupa-
tons in which too great demands were
made on their strength. In Vienna
medical control Of such matters is
easier than with US. because of the
well-established system of apprentice
ship. Most Industries employ physicians.
who examine applicants for apprentice
ships and may reject the physically I'M
TIT. Theoretically, this is a good sys-
tenn, but Teleky has found 1t ineffective
in practice. The physicians are almost
obliged to accept or reject applicants
according to the state Of the labor
market. Also. the best paid industries
get the strongest boys, while weaker
boys must accept lower wages and
poorer conditions or go into the un-
skilled occupations. which means that
the children who most need 1t are not
protected.
Realizing that the choice Of occupa-
ton should be made during school life
and with the advice of teacher and
doctor, Teleky, with the cooperation Of
other physicians, opened a consultation
clinic for school children and their par
the occupation for which the child was
fitted.
He found that disease il produced in
working children not only by improper
conditions of labor-heat, dust. insult
fcient light, stagnant air-but also by
the work itself-the physical overstrain
placed on an underdeveloped organism
which should have it's energies con-
served for growth. After studying the
problem At first hand. and seeing all
efforts to prevent the disastrous effect
Hail, Teleky finds no remedy save the
raising Of the age limit for employment.
The age Of 16, he thinks, is early enough
for children to enter Industrial work;
and even at Is the transition from
school life to industrial life should not
be too abrupt. He agrees with Kaup
that for the youth under Is the work
day should be limited to ten hours, in
GLIDING time for three meals, with each
week at least three half holidays for
study and sport. and each year q two
weeks vacation. The Importance of
such Investigations, says the Journal
Of the American Medical Association. Is
that child labor by lowering resistance
in the child may favor the development
Of tuberculosis in children.