The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-04-20

so is the value of an individual to
s The farmer or the sportsman wh'
5 purchases draft horse or rae
horse, as the case may be, pays
: lprice in accordance with his opinion
/ of the horses ability to serve the pur
pose for which he is wanted. Th'
3 dairyman or the stockman in pur
t chasing cattle for the production O.
milk or food is interested likewise IL
, the blood of the herd he is buying
/ and in the health of the individual
, cattle bought. Wherever anything IL
the animal kingdom is bought OF
sold, physical strength, the prerequis
: tie for beauty or service, has its mon
: etary value and is always considered
And so it is that on health and
strength during childhood depends
health and service during later life
!. While there are exceptions to the
general rule that earning power is in
direct proportion to mental power, it
is true that the rule holds good in
a great majority of cases and a
strong or bright mind can never
function as well with weak body
as can the same mind with a physi-
cally strong body.
Our Low Physical Standard
Not until the entrance of the Uni
ted States in the recent war did we
realize the low physical standard of
the young men of the nation. 1t was
then found that 20 per cent of all
men examined for war service in
the draft, or one out of every five
men examined, were refused admiS-
sion to the army and navy on account
of physical defects, many of which
had existed or were the result of
other defects existing since child
hood. These men were between the
ages of 18 and 80, or at the very
stage of life when they should have
been at their prime in physical
strength. 1t is safe to say that had
the same number of young women
been given the same rigid examina
tion there would have been an equal
ly large percentage of detectives.
With these staggering figures relat-
ing to physical disability as shown
by the draft, the country was aroused
as never before to the need of health
education.
Although the physical inspection
of school children and the correction
of defects in them had been recog-
nized for a number of years as an I'M
dertaking of paramount Importance
in the rearing of mentally and ply
sically strong men and women for the |
future, the movement of health pro-
lection gained more force as result |
of the army draft findings than it |
would otherwise have gained in a |
generation.
Movement Justified
No matter how few the percentage
of corrections of physical defects may
be obtained in proportion to those de-
fects found through the examination
of school children; no matter if nine
parents out of 10 will pay absolutely
no attention to recommendation for
the correction of minor physical de-
fects in their children, the willing
ness of the parents of one child out
of the 10 to realize their responsible
ity in the protection of their child's
health makes the movement entirely
ustifiable and it is incumbent upon
society to supply such examinations
where they are wanted and where
few or many individuals will benefit
by them. II
Among the Great Falls schools it
was found by recent physical inspec-
ion of school children that of 5,082
examined, there were 4,O57
Or 1913 per cent of the total, who had
There we're only 1,025 children ex-
lmined in which there were not any
lefects of any kind found.
IL A. |
ects showed 1859 children or 26.9
,er cent of the total to be more than
per cent under the normal weight
or their height and age. Eleven
hundred and sixty-five or 22.9 per q
ent of the total had diseased or :
enlarged tonsils. Two thou =
and and eighty-five or Alp per cent
# the total had defective teeth show
ng cavities in from one to many
eeth in each individual. Nine hun
red and eighty-one or 1913 per cent
f the total had defective vision; 268
r So per cent of the total had de-
ective breathing, and 679 of 1850
xamined for simple goiter or 26.6
er cent of those examined for this
ondition, were found to have goiter.
Two per cent of all children exam
led had defective hearing and slight
: less than 1 per cent of all children
ad one of each of the following de-
scts: Pediculosis, skin diseases, or
lopedic defects or diseases of the
ones, and congenital physical de-
)rmities. In all there were 1901
hysical defects noted.
Physical Standards
The physical standard of Great
alls school children is in no way
orse than is to be found in the same II
umber of school children in any n
her part of the country. With so
'eat percentage of defective school
lildren, however, between the ages
five and 16, is it not remarkable
lat there we're not more than 20
n cent of the nations manpower be-
yeen the ages of Is and 80 refused
mission to the army and navy dur
g the world war? In discussing
ecific physical defects there is
UGH that may be said of each which
ould be of interest to all parents
Id to all children who are of suffi-
snt age to appreciate the important
ri hot cfrono r.,ucina1 hndU mnSf III