Evening star., 1924-07-06
DC. SCHOOL HEALTH
WORK HAS Jagged
tuberculosis Association in
Resolutions Asks for
Improvement.
OTHER CITIES COMPARED
Provision for More Physicians and
Nurses in 1925 Budget Here
Is Proposed.
OTHER CITIES COMPARED

Are the people OF Washington will
ling to remain silent and passive
while their city lags far behind in the
procession of American cities as to
the vital matter of public health
services, due to inadequate appropria
tions?'
This in substance is the question
now being brought to the attention
of the responsible authorities of
Washington and, Indirectly. to the
business and professional leaders of
the city by the Washington Tuber-
culosis Association in support of it's
specific suggestion that provision be
made in the 1925 budget estimates
for more school physicians and nurses
The board of directors of this as
sociation. at its last regular meet
ing, unanimously adopted resolutions
calling on the health officer of the
city, on the board of education and
on the District Commissioners them
selves to include in their next years
estimates the following provision:
For such an increased number of
school physicians and nurses as will
make possible the thorough physical
examination of all children when first
admitted to the public schools and
an annual physical examination of all
school children up to their tenth year,
with such subsequent periodic exami-
nations as may be found necessary:
q also that provision be made for fol-
lowing up all discovered remediable
physical defects in such manner to
secure their correction at the earliest
possible moment"
Preparing Report.
In order to place before the public
the actual position of this city
compared with other cities of its
class and with the general average
as to school health supervision and
other health services, Surgeon Cen
eral Cumming of the United States
public health service was asked to
make statement for publication. DR..
Cumming said that this federal health
organization was right now engaged
In gathering data for a comprehen-
sive report on this very subject by
request of the National tuberculosis
Association. the National Health
Council the American Child Health
Association and several other groups
But at this time, he said, the
latest comparative figures on the SUBJ
Ject of city health service are con-
tained in the 1928 report of the COM
mittee on municipal health depart
lie Health Association, in -co-opera-
tlon with the United States public
health service. Most of these figures
refer to conditions in 1920.
In the one matter of school health
supervision" said DR.. Cumming, this
report dealt with ffty-nine cities, in
thirty-seven of which the board of
education has all or some part of
the direction of this work. Taking
the average for the cities thus COW
cred, it appears that the cost of
health supervision per pupil for an
enrolment of nearly 100000 Is 62
of cities between 250,0O0 and 100000
population, near the top of which
Washington is found. the average
cost per pupil is 70 cents.
Turning now to the special report
on Washington. it is found that here
the cost of school health supervision
is only 54 cents per pupil per year.
That means that Washington is 25
cents per pupil behind the average
for cities Of it's class.
Now, as to the comparative ratio
of medical inspectors, dental workers
and nurses, there is wide variation in
different cities. In cities where medi-
cal inspectors are employed on full
with cities where similar numbers
are on part time. In the cities of
25o.00o to 100000 population the aver
age number of nurses per 10000
Washington is Isl. or. as the report
says. less than any other city Of this
group except New Orleans and Port
land, Ore.
Ideal Number.
THE ideal number of school medi-
cal inspectors. according to this re-
port. would be the provision Of sufh-
cient personnel to allow one doctor
for every 5000 children and one nurse
for every 1000 pupils. The nurses
should be so far relieved of routine
clerical work as to have time for
follow-up work in the homes Of the
children.
Il am informed that the present
school enrolment for this city is
something over $4,000. With twelve
medical inspectors employed part
time this would make slightly over
500 pupils per inspector. With ten
nurses employed this gives us $500
pupils per nurse. The comparison
Physical examinations of all pu-
pills upon admission to school are
made in fifty-one cities. but in only
thirty-eight cities is this a general
past year has Washington made a
start toward this goal by providing
for the examination of pupils enter
ing the first grades. No city so far
sufficient to give all pupils thor
ough examination each year. New
York, Chicago. San Francisco and
Cleveland have examinations every
other year and three times in the
school life of the pupil. In Baltimore
they have examinations In the first
and fourth grades"
All the medical experts now agree
that the most effective way known
for an Individual to escape tubercu-
lous infection is to build up and main
tain the best possible general bodily
tone and strength. Consequently the
importance of looking after the gen.
eral health of the great mass of chill
dren as they pass through their school