Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1921-06-10
HEALTH OF SCHOOL
CHILDREN Is POOR
Medical Inspector Finds Eighty.
Two Per Cent. Physically
Defective
Suggests More Cooperation, Feeding
By School, and Less Movies

Eighty-two per cent Of the Putnam
school children are physically defect
i've in enc or more respects. accord
ing to the report of Medical Inspector
George I. Lamarche. submitted Mon
day night to the town school commit
tee at its June meeting. Out of
total of Lara children examined
during the last year, DR.. Lamarche
SAID he found only 20 boys and girls
whom he could give a clean bill Of
health. the remaining l,l59 pupils
having either major or minor defect.
DR., Lamarche offered three sugges-
tions which. If carried out. he thought
would go far toward remedying the
condition They were: q, The for
nation of a we'll organized board of
health for the city; 81, The feeding
of school children so as to insure prop
CT nutrition; and 81. consideration
Of some means whereby school chill
dren will not attend moving pictures
with the frequency that Is now the
case.
The medical Inspector in his report
outlined the facts which had led him
10 believe that the changes suggested
were necessary if the health condi-
tions of the children were to be inn
proved. The neeaslas endemic of
last September. which at one time was
the cause Of more than 100 absences,
was spoken Of as evidence of the lack
of cooperation between the town
health officer. the school Inspector and
the local physicians The report
stated that families MD cases Of the
disease. and children with sick broth
ens and sisters were attending classes.
We could have saved expense,
said DR. Lamarebe. IF every physi-
elan treating a case had given to ey-
cry family advice and told what pre-
cautions TO take in communicable dis
eases. \ campaign must be organized
in this town TO teach its inhabitants
how to manage contagious diseases,
including list Of these diseases, the
necessity of obligatory reports Of the
cases. and how TO isolate the affected. ~
To bring about the desired cooper
alton, DR.. Lamarche suggested the
formation of well-oreanizcd board
of health. to work in close relation
ship with the school committee and
the school medical Inspector
As regards the problem of nutri-
ton the medical Inspector said that
he had found that about 20 per cent
Of the children now in the schools are
under-nourished. either as the result
of improper food or defective diges-
ton. One solution TO this state Of af
fairs Dr. Lamarche saw in the feel
ing of the children while at school
He spoke Of the splendid results OBJ
tanned in grade four of Israel Putnam
school. where each child has been Civ
en- one-half pint Of milk with cracker
each school day. The report express
ed the hope that all children in the
public schools will soon be cared foi
in the same way.
Twenty per cent Of the pupils were
also found defective as TO sight and
hearing In a few instances what
had been supposed by teachers to be
cases Of mental defect turned out t.
be nothing but the result of defectiv,
vision or hearing.
At least so per cent Of the pro
uounced eases of nervousness Of tn,
children Or. Lamarche attributed t.
regular attendance at the moving
! pictures. He deplored the effect OF
children of school age Of the spec
taeular impossibilities of the cinema
The detailed report II the examina
ton Of the school children shove,
out Of i24 examined. defects wer,
found as follows characterization 81
lack Of nutrition and anemia 2s3. en-
larged glands 40, foot trouble Sc
nervous diseases -. pulminary dis
ease 95, cardaic disease -. teeth 63l
enlarged tonsils and adenoids 556
vision 1876 tout -of 80 examined)
hearing 1872