Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1919-09-12
MEUlC..L INSPECTION
IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
(Continued from last week.

cause of remedial physical de-
fects. Children are not dul!
usually through the will OF an
nnscriutible providence, but
rather through the law of cause
and effect. In other words,
many, many children are han
dicapped in their race OF life.
both mentally and physically
by defects which can be easily
remedied. 1t would surprise
the most of us to take a CEN
.sus of the physical defects of
school children. and note the
appalling number, who have
defective eye-sight, impaired
hearing, enlarged tonsils, cars
ious and pyorrheal teeth. and
adenoids. We must secure
conservation of our human re-
sources. and this is the first
OF all our natural resources
When the United States was
thrown into the recent war.
and millions of our young
men were brought before
boards for physical examina-
ton, 1t was apparent what an
appalling number were ply
sically unfit.
Public schools are public
trust. and as citizens we have
Il claim upon the state and the
state a rightful claim upon us.
both of which demand recogni-
ton. Education without
health is useless and valueless
II would be better to sacrifice
the education, if in order to
obtain it, the child has to lay
down his good health as the
price. Education must com
prehend the whole man and
whole man is built fundament-
ally on what he is physically".
Legislative enactment in
creating medical inspection
does not trespass upon the
domain of private rights and
initiative. Unde" thiG plan
what is done for the parents t.
tell him of the need of the child
of which he might otherwise
have been in ignorance. Il
leaves to the parent the duty
of meeting those needs: Ii
leaves him with a larger re-
spOnsibility than before. What
ever view we take of the right
of the state to infOrce measures
for the correction of defect
discovered, the arguments fOi
or against should not enter in
to the discussion.
Oral hygiene and oral clean
liness are matters of the utmost
importance. The source of al
bodily activity is food. Food is
not only valuclcss. bu: iniuri
GUS to the body unless it is pro
Derly masticated. This impOr.
tant act cannot be perform.
I'd unless one has good teeth
Deficient teeth often lie at the
bottom of many diseases. The
teeth should be cleaned not les:
than once daily. and always
after taking acids, sugars. ant
candies into the mouth. as
these are great enemies of the
,eeth. Pyorrhea is a disease
of the teeth and gums. 1t i:
one of the most frequent ant
widespread infections found in
human beings. It's local devi
stations are sufficient in them
selves to warrant every effOr
upon our part to effect cur'
but when we consider it in re
lation to the various systemic
infections, for which it is 8,
frequently primarily respon
sible. many of which are ser
iOus and fatal, our responsible
ity to ourselves is at once ap
parent. The secondary syste
mic infections found assOcia
ted with this disease are ar
thiritis. rheUma'ism' IN it!
various forms. i'idne~ diseas
OF various kinds. and man,
type of heart disease. 1t is be
lteved by some good authorities
that pellagra is caused by it o
is secondary to it; and in M
own treatnieh, until The tteti
received proper attention. NJ
other local focus of infection j.
as fraught with danger as thi.
disease. "The recognition
that the teeth and their adja
tcnt tissues may ready and fire
uucnt prOtal for systemic infec
ton is one of the importan
advances in medicine durin:
the last decade"