The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-09
MANY HAVE ILLS
Shawnee School Children Need
More Medical Attention.
That Is Assertion Made by
Lieut.. n. Richmond.
NEGLECT IS MOST COSTLY
1T Makes School Work Cost
1000 Per Cent More.
Parents Think Children Not in
Bed Are Healthy.
NEGLECT IS MOST COSTLY

Failure to provide medical atten-
ton and treatment for school children
is costing the state 1000 per cent more
for school work than if such treatment
were provided. is the estimate of Lieut..
K. Richmond. in charge of the mod
ern health crusade among the grade
schools of Shawnee county. This, he
says, is because the remedial afflic-
tions with which. such an alarming
number of children are suffering. re-
tards them in their work to such an
extent that approximately 50 per cent
of the school children are more than
one year behind in their work. Ade-
noids alone. he insists. are known to
set the average pupil behind from one
to eight years. =
Many HIS Overlooked.
''Sherman,s definition of war said
Lieutenant Richmond, "issinadequate
to describe health conditions among
the school children of Shawnee coun-
ty. We Kansans have the idea that we
are a pretty healthy people and as
long as the children are not sick in
bed we are inclined to believe they al G
perfectly healthy. AS matter of fact
we are not giving this matter a frac-
tional part of the attention it should
have"
With the cooperation of Miss Mary
Mccormick, a graduate nurse, Rich
mond is conducting free clinics among
the schools of Shawnee county and eX-
aiming every pupil for remedial de-
fects. During the last week they have
visited forty-three school rooms. -Four
thousand pupils in the county are now
faithfully observing the chores" laid
out for them and out of these at least
5000, Richmond says. never used a
tooth brush daily when the two began
| 4-wt,f
dren are now cleaning up and the
campaign is everywhere meeting with
great enthusiasm among the young
sters and strong support among the
teachers.
Many Eye Strains.
Enlarged tonsils, serious eye-strain
and adenoids, are the defects mos;
commonly met with. In Belvoir school,
of 40 pupils, 35 are suffering with
enlarged tonsils, and under weight,
three with eye-strsin and eight with
adenoids. In Pierce addition. five out
of 16 children in one room have ade-
nofds. In Rossville school there are IS
cases of enlarged tonsils, eight of ade-
noids and six of eye-strain. In Lyman
school there are 20 cases of enlarged
tonsils and in Silver Lake 16 cases.
Richmond says there is not one
SCHOOL, house in five in the county in
which the windows can be let down
from the top. When he first began
work at least one-third of the schools
could not boast a pupil who washed
his teeth daily. he says. He also
scores the entirely Inadequate salary
of teachers. which, in this county,
averages only $61 a month
\, j 1t is estimated that out of 100
pupils who enter the grade schools.
only twenty-eight finish the eighth
grade. OF this twenty-eight only
twelve enter high school; of the
twelve, only four finish the course,
and of the four, only one goes to COL
lege.
New York Sugar Market.
New York. April 9.-SUGAR-Raw sugar
steady; centrifugal, 7.2S; fine granulated,