The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-04

| of the little ones in France. But. also,
| own children Why, / have prepared
a series of more than 80 health charts
for the National Education association
and the American Medical association,
and for six months we have not been
able TO find anybody willing to under
| write the printing of these charts, al
though 1000 can be issued for $4,000,
and the sale of 600 sets would pay the
cost of the entire edition"
Explains Conditions.
"But why are country boys IN worse
shape physically than city young.
sters?" l asked DR.. Wood.
"The answer to That question is in
dicated in letter | received from DIR.
Nydegger." he replied. Tn explaining
his statement that more men from ru-
raj districts than from cities are re-
iected for military service, he says;
I'VE do know. however, that bad
health conditions in rural school chill
dren run from y per cent all the way
up to % per cent higher than in city
school children.
I'm rural communities the school
age is from six to Is years, Now.
If these bad health conditions exist at
II to Is years, 1t is reasonable to as
sumo that they most exist at 81, when
the young men become OF military age,
Such Is the case. too. The principal de
fects which are found to occur in the
largest numbers in the rural school
boys are found to exist also in the
young men OF military age. A com
parison of the health statistics Of rural
school children with the rejection re
ports of the army and navy will con
firm this statement
"The average country child does not
have food as good as the city child
The latter eats better bread every day
of his life, and. even In the tenement
districts, his diet has more variety
than the diet of his country cousin.
Sanitation Better.
"rhe city child probably drinks
purer water than the boy on the farm
City drainage is better than rural
sanitation. We know more about Ven
tiation in towns than does the coun-
try. with its Theoretically scaled dou-
BILE windows. The country child is
surrounded by the best air III the world
but gets much less of 1t than he should
MANY of the ailments and defects
which disqualfy for military Service
the country youth might have beer
caught and cured in his childhood il
we had regular medical and denta
inspection In all our rural schools, n!
We now have in so many of our cit,
| schools. In comparison of health
| defects of city and country children
| based on all available statistics. foun,
| that everywhere the country children
| fall behind. Forty per cent have teetl
| city. Among country children are NOR,
| than twice as much lung disease, ;
| third more eye defects and a vastl,
| greater amount Of spinal curvature
| than among city children.
Farmer Less Careful.
The city man spends more on tn
| health and well being of his family
| in PROPORTION ia his income, than doe
| the country uWcller, Speaking gen
crafty, everything else on the farm i
Kept up better than the farmers chill
drru AS for the little red school
nous" If the country, il is less wei
.,uJrtrd, theoretically, to its rurpos
ttvu = fine zig pen to its pnpose.
! 'wutry children are less health
lau city ctlldrrn.' summed up III
Wuod. 'Cty $tuudurd& Of living ar