The Wrangell sentinel., 1918-03-21
REGARDING
 OUR SCHOOLS
An Important Duty
 ConfrOnts Us

l When Mr. L. D. Henderson, Commissioner of Education for Alaska. visited Wrangell recent Iy, he urged upon the local school board the importance of medical examination in the school, and outlined d the plan which had been followed successfully in Juneau. The Wrangell board is unani-. nous in its approval of MT. Hen derson's suggestion and are work ing on plan of procedure which will no doubt be carried into eff feet in the near future. The ex- pense of the examination is borne by the school.
 The March Bulletin sent out from the Commissioners office has the following to say under the caption "A Duty Confronts Us".:
 Tine war IS teaching Ameri- cans many things and none more clearly than this-there is impera- tive need for the schools of the United States to pay more def nite attention to the physical we'll being of the boys and girls for whose future usefulness they are so largely responsible. This attention should be exercised not only along lines that will correct bodily defects which now exist but also along the line which has as its guiding principle the mot to- "An ounce of prevention is worth pound of cure. "
 Statistics from the various To- caEties in which physical examin- ations of drafted or enlisted men is made show that sixty-eight per cent of the men examined are suffering from bodily defects of a more or less serious nature. 29. II per cent of those examined are rejected. This figure is two and one half per cent lower than during our Civil War and clearly indicates the advance of medical science and knowledge of person. al and community hygiene. These statistics further show that from eighteen to twenty-five per cent more serious defects are present in the men residing in rural or village communities than in those coming from larger towns or cities. While this Eatter condi- tion may be attributed to a varie- ty of causes, it is felt that the one which most directly contrib utes is the fact that definite physical training is seldom part of the rural school curriculum, that medical inspection and den- tai examinations are almost com pletely neglected, and that the sanitary conditions in the rural or village school are not the sub- jeet of much attention on the part of teachers and school off, cials while just the reverse of the conditions mentioned is true in the school systems of larger towns or cities"
 It is scarcely possible for the marjority of Alaska schools to provide for large amount et de- finite physical training in con- neetion with the work of the schook Calisthenics and drills having as their purpose the cor rection of defects arising from faulty posture either at school or in the home can, however, be in. trodueed in all. Thh sanitary conditions of the school can be re- guiated to a great extent by strict CT attention to ventilation, by taking care that rooms are not over heated, by keeping toilets clean and well disirfected, by strict use of individual drinking cups and towels, by keeping floors window siEls, desks, ,andthe general contents of school rooms clean and free from dust and by care full and definite instruction in the rules of personal hygiene.
 Medical inspection and dental examination of school children have advanced beyond the stage where they are to be considered as fads and now ranks as neces.