The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-03-18


the other hand. the filthy habits OF the
neighboring populations in the middle
ages, whose religion taught that the
salvation of the soul depended upon the
debasement of the body, offered a
premium to plaques of every kind, for
there is no parallel in ancient history
to the terrible inyasions of disease
which from time to time ravaged Europe
down to quite recent times.
The rapid development of sanitary
work IN the schools during the last two
decades shows the result of the wide
spread realization of the Importance of
preventive measures in the conserya-
ton of natural and human resources.
The prevention of waste has become in
fact the dominant issus of our entire
political, industrial and educational
situation.
Our highest boast is coming to be
that We, the present generation, are
living not only for ourselves, but also
for the generations that are to follow
The surroundings in which the child
passes the first years of its life should
conduce to its healthy development and
not impede it, as Is so often the case in
the large number of our schools. The
ann of modern education should be to
foster the physical as well as the in
tellectual and moral development of the
child, not only for the advantages of
health itself, but also for the sake of
establishing sound physical basis,
without which true progress in the
culture of the intellect is impeded or
prevented.
When the State assumes the respon-
sibillty OF educating the children, it also
obligates itself to carefully guard their
health, both physical and mental. This
obligation is due to the public who in
trust the care and training of their
children to others during a large por-
ton of their lives The State should
not be content simply to "hold physical
childhood unframed while mental child
hood is getting its schooling" 1t should
strive to promote physical health and
VigOr as an indispensable accompani-
ment to intellectual training AS one
means to this end medical inspection of
school children is of great benefit in
preventing the spread of contagious
diseases. The medical inspector aided
by the teacher, who should not hesitate
to act, will take advantage of early in
formation OF the appearance of sus-
plclou3 symptoms in any child, by send
ing 1t home at once for its further OBJ
servatlon and treatment, if necessary.
II the disease be infectious. any other
children in the family, though well,
should not be permitted to attend school
until the cure is complete and all dam
ger from infection is past.
The medical inspection of school
children which has been conducted in
numerous cities and in some entire
states, show that only about one third
or less, of the children enrolled in public
schools are free from defects, which to
a greater or less degree interfere with
their progress in school work. The In
spections have shown that of the APP
proXimately twenty million children en-
rolled in the public schools of the United
States, about fourteen million are
handicapped in one way or another,
Among the more numerous defects are
found to be. manutrltion, defective
teeth, obstructed breathing due to
adenoids, or diseased tonsils, those who
show tubercular tendencies. defective
vision, defective hearing, spinal curva-
lures, organic heart disease and various
forms of nervous diseases.
KnoWlpdOe without health cannot
Di"H u Sues. 20 HE depends -
.nLtu .n me Inl,grly ut ne energy
getting processes as on the accumu-
lation of knowledge The school should
not contine its work to the latter
Emerson is literally correct when he
tells US that the strong heart helps US
to resist temptation. So do healthy
muscles and sound digestion.
Sanitary science deals with the food
supply as well with other conditions,
such as proper clothing, habitation.
care of the body. etc.
Regularity of meals and care in the
selection and preparation of the child's
food cannot be too strongly empha-
sized, and in such matters the parents
in comfortable circumstances are often
at fault as well as those who have less
70 prepare. Children pay the penalty
when mothers have not been rightly
educated
Parental neglect and ignorance are
often responsible for underfeedng and
tor pampering the child in its food
habita. The same cause is responsible
for insufficiency of sleep, over excite
meDt and many other enervating in
fiuences which affect the child's ability
to digest and assimilate its food. The
child does not thrive upon what it eats,
but upon what 1t can digest and assimi-
late. The effect of maInutrition on
mental development is PROBABLY very
great, though difficult to measure. The
nervous child is nearly
always ill-nourished Decaying, ach-
ing or irregular teeth and diseased gums
are at the bottom of many cases of
mG!nGtriticn. Adenoids and enlarged
tonsis lndu"a q condition Of rcro-ol
toxaemia which profoundly affect nu-
triton. Many cases are traceabe to
eye-straln, or to other reflex nervous
disturbances
Insufficient clothing aggravates NAL
nutrition by robbing the body of its
heat, The child who is scantily fed and
scantily clothed is compelled to burn it's
candle at both ends. The assimilation
of food depends not only on the food
itself and the soundness of the digest
i've apparatus, but fall as much upon |
the appetite stimulated by bodily activ-
itY. The tissues can starve for oxygen
in the out f-doors, if the bodily func- |
lions a~e not stimulated by exercise. |
So may the child who hugs his books
six or more hours day suffer MANU-
triton in the midst of plenty. The
exercise of the body should have its
in hn cnboOI II Il