The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-06
CITY TOO LARGE
FOR One TRAINED
NURSE" DEAMER
Head of Public Schools
Recommends Full-time
Health Officer
COST ABOUT 81
FOR EACH PUPIL
Says "Better Schools Go
Beyond Medical In
spection"

Under the subject of Health, SUI
perintendent Arthur Deamer of the
Fargo public schools in his annual
report to the city board of education,
declares that the Fargo field is too
large for one trained nurse to cover
In a satisfactory manner.
mo aone person can supervise the
health Of 1900 children and do it in
the careful and detailed manner it
should be done, says the superin-
tendent. ut is to be hoped that the
plan to employ a full time health
officer, properly trained and equipped
for the work, will meet with general
approval.
City Employees Trained Nurse.
The city of Fargo employs a train
ed nurse who works under the super
vision OF the city health officer. She
carries out the instructions of the
latter so far as they apply to control
and detection OF transmissable dis
eases. In addition to these duties
she carefully examines all the child
rem as frequently as possible and
gives special attention to cases refer
red to her by principals and teach
ers. She is an adviser of the teach
er and also the grammar and high
school girls. She co-operates with
the associated charities in its work
and all the other activities that make
for betterment of physical conditions
Of the children of the city. She fol-
lows up the cases as far as possible
and thus sees that medical inspection
is more than mere detection of dis
eases and defects.
Broader Field of Work,
For several years attention has
been given to the health of the
school children of Fargo, SAYS the
schools go beyond medical inspec-
ton and attempt to supervise the
health Of the children in their charge
They aim not only to control con-
tagious diseases but also to discover
every form Of physical effectiveness
that may exist. They aim not only
to discover selects but to remedy
them wherever possible. 1t includes
physical training and playground
activities, medical control of athle.
tics, supervision of school programs
from the point of view of hygiene and
segregation Of defective children in
special schools.
Cost About 81 Per Pupil.
thus, they are concerned in pre-
venting conditions from arising that
will be detrimental to the health of
the children. In these cities the
health supervision is in charge of a
physician of special training and
equipment who has the assistance Of
as many competent nurses as the
needs Of the city demand. The cost
OF such a system runs from so cents
to 81 per pupil, but is cheap in the
long run when the cost of disease to
a community Is taken into consid-
Grafton. T. =
Applies Estimates Here.
To give some idea OF the real field
Of the school health department the
following estimates may be OF inter-
est. These estimates are based on
statistics from millions of school
children in the United States, Cam
ada, Europe. Australia and other
countries. The per cents are given
by Lewis Terman- in The Portland
School Survey. Applying these per
cents to Fargo would give the fol-
lowing: fF
OF Fargo'sa 5000 children 500
have defective teeth: $50 have
or have had INSTRUCTED nasal breath
ing; 900 have enlarged cervical
glands; 300 have vision defective en-
ough to require c0rrection by
glasses $50 have seriously defective
hearing; $50 have been infected at
least once with tuberculosis; $50
have spinal curvature or some other
reformation likely to interfere with
health; so have organic heart dis.
ease; 1900 do not use a toothbrush
with needed regularity; $50 have
toothache frequently; $50 sleep in
bedroom with no window, open; 500
drink one or more cups of tea or<cof-
fee per day; 400 to $50 are consti-
pated to greater or less degree.
The above list gives some idea OF
the vast field of health conservation
in which the city is directly inter-
ested. The following table gives some
idea Of the work that is being done
by the school nurse: Total number OF
5,527; number of defects
found, teeth, LOSS; enlarged tonsils,
l57; adenoids, 81; pediculosis, 116;
eye strain, 81; epilepsy, 2; ear trou-
BILE, Is; nervous, s; scabies, q; ring
worm, 2; infectious impetigo, so;
1903; total, 1864.
Contagious Diseases.
Number of cases of contagious and
mumps. IS: whooping cough, q; scarlet
fever, 10; diphtheria, 20; chicken pox,
SO: total, 240.
"The following table shows the re-
suits OF inSpecIlon ana IOlIOW-up Wofk
of the nurse: Defective teeth treated
and filled. 367: enlarged tonsils re-
moved, 10; adenoids removed. Is; cas-
es of pediculosis treater, 116; children
who obtained glasses, "a: children
with deafness improved, 10: throat
cultures taken. 1873: children taken to
doctors offices for free treatment, SO;
children taken to hospital for free
operations. 4 children taken to den
fist for free treatment. 25: dressings
and treatments given in school. 274;
visits to homes. 523.
Field Of Activities.
'In addition to the above. talks
were given at mothers clubs, to high
school girls, and to grade girls, con-
corning the general laws of health.
Special attention was called to the
care Of the teeth, cleanliness, diet,
fresh air, and other points of general
interest.
"AIl cases of absence were also
brought to the attention Of the school
nurse, as most absences are OCCASION
ed by illness. Her promptness in Wis
fting the homes to investigate sucn
cases Of illness resulted i'm the detec-
tion of many cases of contagious dis
eases and their consequent isolation
to protect the rest of the school chill
dren from contact"