Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-14
SCH|CK TEST
TOT Be COSTLY
Certain City Physicians Want
S4,5O0 to Perform Test on
School Children

The Board of Health and the
Board OF Education have apparently
struck n snag in their efforts to
have the Schick test applied to the
public school children OF the city in
! order TO prevent diphtheria, the
matter of paying the doctors to Pc
form the tests being the big item
which holds back progress in this
move.
According to a report made by
Health Officer Charles S. Thompson
to the health board last night, the
school physicians want approx
mately $500 to do this work on
the 2,746 children, the parents OF
whom have consented to the tests.
This $500, 1t is pointed out, e
not include the administration or
the immunization services of toxin
antitoxin but merely cover the
original test to determine whether
or not a child is immune. IL m
mune, no other services are re-
duired, but If the pupil is suscepti-
BILE the toxin antitoxin treatments
are made necessary. The school
board, upon receiving this estimate
of the cost of the work, expressed
the fact that this sum was entirely
too large for them to handle as they
did not have sufficient. money IN
their budget to care for it.
1t was then suggested. according
to DR.. Thompson's report. that the
physicians be consulted to see II
some way could not be found where
by this work could be cared or.
The physicians of the city were in
vi.ed to meet at the health depart
ment's office Monday afternoon,
seven coming to the meeting. After
discussing the matter the physicians
present made a motion which pre-
vailed that they would perform the
Schick test upon the children, not
to exceed 5000 in number, and give
the necessary toXin-antitoxin treat
ment to those who were not found
immune for a lump sum of $4,000.
This sum the health board be-
lieves to be excessive and the sug-
gestion vas made last night by
Commissioner Zangenberg hat the
board engage a capable doctor, an
out of town physician, if necessary,
and pay him full time in order that
he might himself take are of all
of the children, giving the original
test and later the toXin-antitoxin
treatment where found necessary.
This suggestion was carefully
thought over by the board and the
sentiment seemed to prevail that
failure on the part of local doctors
to reduce the price asked by them
might result in the health board re-
sorting to such a measure.
In order to finance the work, il Is
said an additional appropriation for
this work could be asked of the al
dermen when the 1928 budget is
made up in order that the tests
might be made during the next
school term. Although the work of
securing the consent of parents has
already been completed among the
children now in school, this was done
to give the board some idea as to the
number willing to take the treat
ment.
The board did not intend to make
the actual tests until next fall, fol-
lowing the re-opening of schools,
and now hat the question of finan-
ces has come up and is proving more
serious than was expected owing to
what the commissioners claim, ex-
cessive charges on the part of ply
s%icians, it will be necessary to post
pone the work until the board is
assured that the money to pay for
the work will be forthcoming.