Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-25
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED
pRTcG
SATURDAY .... JANUARY %, 1871,
\ GOOD BILL TO KILL.

State Senator \. V. Lucero has in
troduced again in the senate of New
Mexico that same old bill by which a
certain class of doctors of this state
mean TO get their grip on the school
children, regardless of the wishes of
the parents.
Here are some of the provisions Of
the bill:
THE school directors of each dis
trict in the state shall employ such a
number Of physicians and school nur-
SEES, and fix their compensation rs the
needs of the district may seem 20 re-
quire. 1t shall be the dafy OF said
physician or physicians to examine all
the pupils of said district vice each
year, once in The month of September
and once in the month oS January,
for defects of eye, ear, nose. and
throat, and such other physical de-
fects as may appear to be present
This means that without consulta-
ton with parents and without their
consent, some man having a license TO
practice medicine may subject every
school pupil to whatever sort of ex-
animation he may see fit. regardless
of the age or the sex Of the pupil, and
without regard to the qualifications
of the doctor, or lack of qualifications,
and without regard to his moral fit
ness for the powers which this bill
would place in his hands.
But the bill continues:
"A report concerning all pupils N
need of medical or surgical attention
shall be made to the city suIeuntend-
ent of schools, Il one is employed,
otherwise to the county supCrinteuu-
ent. Such city superintendent o.
county superintendent shall promptly
notify the parents or Guardlal Of each
chill found defective. Of the Child's
effectiveness, and shall recommend
that the child be given proper treat
ment"
The bill further provides that if the
parents or guardian of such child
fail, neglect or refuse to have such
treatment begun" or if not financial
ly able to have the child treated, the
cause the child to be treated by the
city or county physician,
Also, every city having school
population Of five hundred or more
must employ at least one nurse, whose
duty it shall be to see that the physi-
clans recommendation are carried
out.
There are many good physicians in
New Mexico. as well as many who are
not qualified for intelligent practice
of medicine, to say nothing Of sur
gerry where an unskilled man is GER
tain TO do more harm than good.
In Prussia such things as the bill
proposes were done, and the PrusSian
system gained some foothold at GER
tain places in the United States. but
not for long. For example here is an
excerpt from an editorial in the De.
troit Tribune:
About the worst abuse of school
authority that has come 10 light is
that exposed by the citizens of Will
mette, Wnnetka, Kenilworth and
Glencoe, suburbs of Chicago. The
medical inspectors decided that all
pupils had to submit to a thorough
medical examination. Boys were ta-
ken by the dozen into room, stripped
and examined The same process was
begun with the girls. Parents began
to hear of the proceedings from girls
from twelve to sixteen years old who
were worrying themselves nervous
through dread of the approaching
ordeal
The story goes on of one father who
had the family physician give phys
ical examination of his daughter and
send certificate TO the medical ex-
aminers." They threw the certificate
into the waste basket and that girl
was herded with all the rest for ex-
animation by some strange young men
who had been appointed by the school
board to do the job
About the same time that this fad
was at its height, the legislature of
South Dakota made an investigation
of such medical examinations in that
state, and, instead of passing a law
compelling it, the law enacted was
one prohibiting it.
Now let us have an end of this non
sense in New Mexico. The child does
not belong to the state, as in Prussia
1T is the schools that are public. not
the child What we want in the
schools is education. not medication.
Let the doctors back of this thing
earn their money some other way. A
few years ago they backed a bill un-
der which person wanting five
cents worth of salts would have to
a 4 r.
two dollars before he could get It.
The Journal hopes that it will not
be necessary to expose these things