The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-06
Candidate for School Board
Thinks Child's Health
Should Be Guarded.
REPLY TO TRUSTEES
Statement Is Response to
Opposition Offered by
Present Officials.

Will you kindly give me space in
your paper to substantiate my opinion.
previously expressed, OF the value and
need Of medical inspection in our
schools?
In yesterdays Muscular Messrs.
Brown, Elliott and Smith state their
emphatic opposition to medical in
spection an 1t has been conducted in
our schools heretofore" and maintain
that anything not properly executed
Is better not to have been started"
From such information as is avail
able in the absence OF the superin-
tendent, the facts seem to be that the
medical inspectors contributed their
services VERY kind of them, but not
the best method) and that the nurse
employed was not thoroughly quail
f.ad. Things done by halves are never
done well, but things done by halves
may be better than things not done at
all.
A physician of good standing, en-
ployed and paid by the school board.
and a thoroughly trained nurse would
be likely to give better satisfaction. As
to the cost of medical inspection, find
this statement by Luther Gulick. In
spection by physicians for contagious
diseases costs about 10 cents per child
per year, for contagious diseases and
examinations for detection of physical
defects average about 25 cents per
child per year; where school nurses
are employed the average cost Is about
80 cents per child per year."
The cost varies, OF course. according
to the locality. Seattle had Gin 1922
IL medical inspectors, 1470 children per
inspector, at a total cost of $1,000.
Lawrence, Mass, had one inspector. in
speeding 7.447 children, at cost of
1880; Woonsocket r. l., had six in
spectors, All children per inspector, at
a cost of 5000. Missoula has LOO
school children. Missoula with 100
school children should require two
school nurses. Missoula is paying
about $4,000 for the mental training
of school children. Is it not ridicu-
lous that $4,000 should be considered
an extravaganza when devoted to the
health and well-being of these chill
dren?
AS to the need OF medical inspection,
it is doubtless true that New York and
Chicago have greater need of medical
Inspection than Missoula, but Chicago
and New York have no monopoly of
defective vision, defective hearing, etc.
quote from an article by DR.. Thorn
as d. Wood, professor of physical edu-
cation in Columbia university, and
chairman of the committee on health
problems of the National Council Of
Education, acting Jointly with the
council on health and public instruc-
ton OF the American Medical associa-
ton.
There are in the schools of the
United States today approximately co.
100000 pupils. Careful study Of sta
tistics and estimation of all conditions
lead to the following personal conclu-
sions:
Over 100000 have defective hearing:
about 100000 have defective vision;
ONCl V,vVVsuVV nave ChldI6cu lOISlIS
adenoids or enlarge cervical glands
which need attention: over 10000, 900
have defective teeth which are poten-
TALLY. if not actually detrimental to
health.
Several millions Of the children pos
sess, each. two or more of the handi-
Gaping defects. About 100000 (75
per cent? Of the school children in this
country need attention today for phys
ical defects which are partially or COM
pletely remediable.
Improvement in school hygiene in
wolves prominently as one of four fac
tors: Recognition of extraordinary
value Of work Of school nurses and en-
ployment Of nurses in the schools.
What is the penalty for physical de-
fects?" asks J. II. Welch. "Retardation,
encouragement, dropping out of school
and annual waste of s12,0o0,0O0. If
only so per cent of these evils could
be eliminated by medical inspection
would it not pay?'
Ira S. Pile in the Journal of Home
Economics states, "Twenty-five per
cent Of our public school children fail
to attend school rs per cent of the
time. Preventable disease is q large
factor in this"
1t is the opinion of DR.. Wood, pre-
viously quoted, that the state cannot
afford, on economic grounds even, tc
educate a child who is Handicapped by
removable obstacles. Ten states have
mandatory medical Inspection laws; /.
other states have permissiye medica
inspection laws. Over 400 cities ir
these states have medical inspection
provided.
Newspaper space will give out, bu
not arguments in favor of medical in
spection and health regulation.
MRS. JOHN E. REACH