The Washington herald., 1917-01-30
SEEN AND HEARD BY GEORGE MINER.
SCHOOL HYGIENE IN YUCATAN
A Thoroughly Modern System of Physical Exami-
nation and Record Carried on in the Schools
of the Mexican New England.

It's far cry from rugged and cold New
England, where universal education was
| fostered In the little red schoolhouse, to
the green and sunny land OF Yucatan,
| where have just been inaugurated the
most advanced methods in safeguarding
the health Of school children. The south
east corner of Mexico is to that country
today what the northeast corner OF the
United States was to our country a hun
dred years ago, so far as public education
| is concerned. In spite OF the great differ
ence In latitude, climate, race and con-
ditions, these two sections of the Ameri-
cas- are closely allied in the belief that
the welfare of the state depends largely
on the welfare OF the child.
Very few Americans have any idea that
in little known Yucatan there Is now In
| operation a highly perfected system OF
compulsory education. Such is the fact
nevertheless.
Not only must every child there be
given the benefit OF education, but a de-
cree has Just been put in force whereby
the health OF every child is looked after
in a more systematic and scientific way
than In any other country in the world
| This Is one Of the number Of great re-
forms that Gov. Alvarado has brought
about In the short time In which he has
been engaged in awakening Yucatan from
it's letherxy of centuries. When he ar
found the people STEPPED in superstition
and ignorance and oppressed with peon-
age and unjust laws. Naturally vice and
crime went hand In hand with Ignorance.
One Of his first cares was to install a
system Of public education. He decreed
that every child must go to school, The
result is that there are now more than
three thousand schools in Yucatan, where
| a year ago there were only hundred. It
| is a favorite saying of Governor Alva-
rado that he has more school teachers
| than soldiers.
And now that he has those brown
skinned, black-eyed children all learning
to read and white, he has devised
system to protect their health that is
unique and remarkable In his order pro-
mitigating it he says:
There is no explanation why school
hygiene up to the present time has been
neglected with such tenacious careless
ness and criminal resistance, to a point
where the medical profession considers
itself fraternity for companionship and
friendship, with no other purpose outside
OF collecting fees than stoically to watch
the time pass"
With this slap at the doctors, which, 1t
Is needless to say, stirred them to imme-
diate activity. the governor sets forth his
plan for school hygiene and the mainte-
nance of infantile vitality. Frequent and
regular medical inspection is made of the
schools and each individual pupil Each
child has a book in which the results of
the medical and mental examinations are
recorded This book will tell the story
of the development OF the childs brain
and body and be an invaluable guide to
his future education and well-being.
There will be procured" says the de-
cree, the clinical and periodical analysis
| OF the school children Of the State; there
will be pathologtc and psychologist classi-
| hcstion Of each one, the whole Of which
will be brought together in a careful
registry to make up a library OF personal
| reference by means OF which will be OBJ
tanned the knowledge Of the best method
| Of procedure with each child and also
the division into groups in such way
that the professor, aided by the school
doctor, will know which are the defec-
tive and abnormal children, all to this
/ end that the proper remedies may be
| applied and the physical and mental
development of the students may be pro-
cured with all the harmony that science
demands"
In other words the education OF the
mind and body are to be carried on to-
| gether so that the next generation VIII
be vigorous both mentally and physically.
The medical inspection has five princi-
|
To see that the school buildings and
furniture satisfy the conditions which
modern sanitation and pedagogy demand.
To assure the prevention of contagious
diseases in schools.
To conserve the health of the students
and to take care that the physical exer-
| else and mental work are adapted to
the constitution Of each child and that
these are balanced in such way as
to make for the best development
To separate abnormal children from
| the others in the ordinary schools and
see to It that they are educated in special
academies or placed in asylums as
unteachable.
| To examine teachers regularly and re-
| tire those who are suffering from any
| incurable or contagious disease, also to
| examine any who absent themselves on
| account Of illness and prohibit their re-
turn until they are in perfect health.
| The medical inspection Is made bi-
monthly by undergraduates inspec-
tors That is, to be an inspector one must
have been a professor of primary instruc-
ton, or had some experience as a school
! teacher in addition to being doctor Of
medicine In no instance will Quacks,
nurses or empiric practitioners be employ
| ed.
When a child is withdrawn from school
| tagious disease, no matter how slight,
1t cannot return without a permit from
the health officer stating that it is in
| perfect health again. This same law ap-
| plies to members of the teaching body
or any other person who lives in the
! school.
| In the prevention Of contagious dis
eases the inspectors must see to it that
the children are vaccinated and revaccin-
| ated and that they use their individual
receptacle, pot or Jug for water. If the
children are not vaccinated their parents
| or guardians are fined.
The Individual physical examination OF
the pupils, is only carried on in the pri-
mary schools when they enter, and bi-
monthly afterward. The parents of the
children have to be present at these ex-
/ aminations.
For a pupil to secure health csrtifi-
| cate there Is an anthropometrical exami-
nation, and examination of the general
condition, an examination of the nervous
system and a special examination of the
senses. From these examinations are
made out notes for the teacher and in
dications for the care of the child, show
ing the weak point that needs most
watching. Special care is taken to show