The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-08-20

Once upon time the directors of ;
great corporation met In solemn con
clave and after long deliberation, IN
structed their general manager t.
build large addition to their already
large plant. They didn't reckon th'
expense, and when the manager,
man of much resource, came to tlgur'
out this cost, he discovered that th'
directors hadn't provided any specia
appropriation and that the funds a
his disposal were entirely inadequate
So what coud the poor man do?
The wise men that the people o:
Florida elected to compose the Legis
lature of 1915, with apparently un
limited confidence in the State Boart
of Health that it could do anything
and everything, put upon it new bur
den, which resembles in many re
spects the stunt that old Pharaoh pu
over on the Children Of Israel, Whet
he demanded the usual quota OF brick
but held out on the straw supply.
These wise legislators passed an ac'
to conserve the health and lives of the
school children of Florida by provid.
ing that every one of them shall un'
dergo each year a medical inspection
and subsequent treatment, where ne
cessary. and providing further that
the management of this necessary anu
important service shall be under the
SUPERVISION of the State Board OF
Health and that it shall be paid for
from the funds of the Board, which
already are taxed to the limit to carry
on the present work
This act provides that the county
physician of each county, where the
county has such an officer, shall be
the medical inspector OF the children
of the county, and where no such otii-
Ger has been named, the county COM
missioners shall appoint one, but in
either case the Inspector is to be paid
bv the State Board Of Health from
its funds. 1t provides, also, that no
one inspector shall be responsible for
the examination of more than 25OO
children.
There is the further prOviso that l."
cities of more than 5000 population,
in which the medical inspection of the
school children has already been eSS-
tablished by the authorities Of such
cities. this law shall not be operative,
provided that such city inspection
Shall use the forms prescribed by the
State Board and shall report to it.
Now, this inspection Of the children
includes two branches or divisions OF
Iyork one to determine their free
dom from contagious diseases, which
If nresent would render them men
- noa - - each other and to the communi-
~ Tho other is to examine each pu.
III III for tho existence of physical de-
fac+s srrb as adenoids. incipient con-
s,,,,,n+ion sU defective hearing or sight,
+I,n % rreserre of body lice and other
tronbIps which make the child defec-
ti,o nbysicaiiv and consequently men
taII,, % P snd which unless relieved be-
come a handicap through all his life.
w Nav the cost Of This service is the
rrohIam that the State Health Board
ty,,inp to solve. Operations of the
-.,,,e S NC Nc tnra nnder the Russell Sage
Taindation covering wide and long
a,snorioncn have pIaced the cost per
oIiIJ If surh examination to deter
I,,ine , tha nresence of contagious dis
nasn ,,,t at fifteen cents. Thirty-fve
cents additional. or fifty cents-in all,
iS i +Lo cost Of examination for person.
-; @Lvsiria1 lefects.
sI,3os+ the same figures are reach
ad hV another method.
STcb worl, necessarily must be PEI
fo,,,,ed bv trained physician. F'.r
l,,a lUt '',[ n,a, fo avaminp the full quota of
. Zoo cb;)dren would REQUIRE his time
~ +ba ayrinsi,n of his private prac-
10 ' for fonr r,onths. Such service
on,(id aLoI' ~ 5ardIv he boHo.ft for less than
SON % o0 = month aid necessary ex-
,,aUyrs faUyly and if would be worth that
PSrrS i,r,, Tbis would amount practically
:" ~, Gf+v can+s for each pupil, especial
l., =, ~ y ;yr,rsi communities in which the
l,hna1s aro widely scattered over long
,Jil+ancos i. g
RE carsns of 1910 the latest work
;ro. ''c hasis for comnu+ation. gave Flor
iJS 1%0 OO0 school children, subject to
+ha f,r rro,,isions Of this law. Doubtless
tbe tho nnn3bpr has vastly increased in
10 lt Ave- years Iansed and it is prob
,Ii,, 'i nTosa +o o00 000 or more. at the
1,raseT+ time Rr+ accenting the num-
Ear E ,s % i@0 0o0 fftv-two inspectors
IL 80,