Douglas Island news., 1917-01-12
FOR MEDICAL
 EXAMINATION Plan on Foot for Preservation and Protection of Health of
 Children
Douglas, January 9. 1917.

N NllN AahANNl
 At a meeting of the Douglas Par Teacher Association this week, tho matter of medical inspection of the children of our school was dis cussed. and, if you please, I should like to state in your columns my views on the subject.
 There is no question, l think, that greater attention should be paid to tho physical needs of the children. Mr. Gordon l.. Berry, Chairman of the National Committee for the Pre- vention of Blindness, stated before the American School Hygiene As sociation in Chicago recently that three-fourths of the school children of the United States are below par physically and that one-fourth- ! 5. .OOO, ,OOO-havo defective eyesight. I'm an investigation of the teeth of the school children of Chicago dur ling the first week of December, |l91G. it was discovered that 3OO,- | 900 children of that city had one or more decayed teeth Dr. Carter, a dentist of this city. told me recently that the number of children in Doug ! las who have Pyorrhea is alarming. New York City has just been cele- brating "Open Window Week. in which the attention Of the people ! has been called through the news papers. schools, woman's clubs and other organizations, to the advan- tagos of fresh air in the treatment ! and prevention Of colds and other diseases of the lungs.
 An physical defects are the cause Of lnefficiency in school work. If child cannot see the blackboard clearly. he will make mistakes in copying the work and will have dif- nculty in understanding the teach CTS explanations. If child has adcnoids and has to breathe through his mouth or if he has decaycd teeth. he will not be able to pro- perly masticate his food, and will be troubled with indigestion or headaches perhaps, which will, Of course. hinder him in his school work.
 Medical inspection means just what it says, inspection not treat ment. The plan which the members of the School Board and the teach CTS have agreed upon is as follows. A thorough examination Of each child i'm the school will be conducted under the direction Of Dr. A. R. Sergeant. Health officer Of Douglas, who offers his services gratis, by Mrs. Wm. Franks, a trained nurse of Treadwcll, who will make the first examination and call once a month thereafter during this school year to look over the children at the school house for the small sum of twenty five dollars. Cards will be filled out i'm duplicate for each child. stating clearly the condition Of his eyes, ears. mouth. throat, lungs, heart and blood, and noting previous sicknesses, if any. One of these cards will be kept on file in the school office, and the other sent Co the parents. lt is hoped that fl any defects have been found in a child. the parents or guardian will then consult the fam fly physician and have them cor rected as soon as possible
 In other places where medical ln- spection has been carried on, good results have always been manifest. In a survey Of Clevoland's school system a few months ago, it was found that tens of thousands of de- fleets have by this means been dis covered and a larger and larger pro- portion Of them corrected every year
 The larger cities, such as New York, Boston. Chlcdgo, San Fran cisco. Portland and Seattle, and many smaller cities have conducted such examinations with good results for many years.
 In Juneau two years ago, in an examination by Dr. Wm. A. Pallister, ! it was found that only S1 Of the 25O children examined were normal in every respect. Diseases of the eye. ear, nose and throat were common, and several cases were found Of anemia, goiter, etc.
 Since the City Council feels that the city cannot afford to spend the twenty-five dollars necessary for this medical inspection, hope that some other means will be found to meet the expense of it, for feel sure that the results accruing from such an examination Of our children would be we'll worth the cost
 FLOY TRACY,
 Superintendent Douglas School.