New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-07
WELFARE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
Curing Them Means Fitness for
Rest Of Life.

Tc the Editor of The Tribune.
/ Sir: I desire to commend the admirable
editorial, inspection Of School Children"
which appeared in your issue of August %.
/ As you point out, it is very difficult to un-
derstand the basis for the objection By many
PARENTS to the physical examination of their
children in school. The City of New York is
soicitous of the welfare OF its school chill
dren In 1914 it spent S43O,S90 for the work
of preventing the spread Of disease and con
etructively promoting the health of children
with physical defects by the establishment Of
clinics where the necessitous may receive
treatment and the mechanism for discovering
defects through physical examinations.
The periodic examinations in schools were
intended first to render remote the wide
spread infection from children with con
tagious diseases and thus obviate the posi-
b,lity of the schools becoming the foci for the
dissemination Of disease. The more positive
work is through a complete knowledge OF the
physical condition Of the child to indicate to
parents the need for remedying subnormal
conditions likely to retard the chld's mental
growth or impair its normal physical develop
ment The gigantic task imposed upon the
Health Department in this field is apparent
WI en- we remember that there are approx
mately 824,547 school children in TIA school
buildings spread over an area OF S2o square
miles. While the city pursues very definite
policy to prosecute this work, it is notorious
that the funds provided for the Health De-
partment to carry it on are inadequate.
Out OF the S24,547 school children enrolled
o "a
in one year for physical defects, owing to the
small staff of doctors available for this work
Of this number 6S7 per cent were found in
need Of medical attention while only 23.9
/ per cent were reported treated.
/ Inasmuch as only a little over one-third OF
the school registration was examined, if we
assume that the same ratio of defects is to
be found in the unexamined two-thirds there
are approximately
$4,000 cases of defective vision,
4,441 cases Of defective hearing,
1869 cases of defective nasal breathing,
99,787 cases of hypertrophied tonsils,
6,90l cases of cardiac diseases,
4,023 cases Of orthopedc defects,
S7,776 cases Of manutrition,
524,359 cases o. defective teeth,
! s37,0 5l cases of physical defects.
/ The staff Of medical inspectors and nurses
assigned 70 this work Is not commensurate
with the gigantic nature OF the task, but the
mechanism for the correcting of the physical
defects of the children who are found de-
fective is IN a most deplorable state. While
the city maintains nine clinics where chill
dren whose parents are too poor to pay for
private treatment may come and have defects
removed, the need is so great for additional
clinics that the existing facilities are ire
Imendously overcrowded and reach but small
number OF the children.
/ The social significance Of the health care
OF school children, II better understood by
parents, would result In a popular sentiment
which would cause the present inadequate ia
clites TO be materially augmented. FIRE.
auently the chronic ills from which people
suffer may be traced directly TO the neglect
to give attention to what has appeared to be
a minor defect of comparative insignifcance
Health is an essential 10 social competence
The person who lacks health lacks not merely
the opportunity to produce the maximum re-
suits in life, but also ability. The City Of
New York spends nearly $40,0OO,000 for edu-
cation annually. Who can say what part of
this is rendered useless by reason OF the
physical condition Of the child. which cannot
lie responsive 10 the educational process so
Icing as its body is not physically fit?
While the city has made a considerable
start in the health supervision OF its school
children. more and more money will be needed
to do the work thoroughly and have it yield
the best results. No matter how much money
is spent in this work, it will be ineffective
just so long as parents remain Indifferent to
the efforts which are being made TO have
their children not merely free from the pos
ability Of contracting contagious disease, but
also safe from the development OF other
physical defects.
1t Is certainly gratifying to find the public