Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-09-27
ASK BIGGER SCHOOL
FORCE OF DOCTORS
Monday Evening Club Sees
Need of IL More
Physicians.

Enlargement Of the medical inspec-
ton staff of the District public schools
SO that a complete physical examina.
ton can be given every child entering
school Is urged by the public health
committee Of the Monday Evening
Club in a report made public last
night following it's comprehensive
study Of the medical inspection work.
The committee pointed out that IL adj
ditional medical inspectors and 20 ad-
ditional nurses would be required for
this work.
The study revealed to the commit
tee that less than $1,000 Of Washing
tons 5000 school children received
any sort Of medical inspection in 1924.
and less than 10000 received anything
like thorough medical examination.
Parents Perplexed.
"So-1e Washington parents are be-
ginning to ask. Am 1 putting the
health VI my children in jeopardy by
sending &hem to the public schools?' !"
says the committees report. when
these pat~nts refer to the District
Commissioners they get little COM
Gals state that out of 1,494 pupils
examined n the lower grades, S5.S
per cent had some physical defect.
1.-The parents problem is very
real one. Last year Congress passed
Il new compulsory education law. The
timid parent cannot afford to take
his child out of the public schools UNI
less he can afford the expense of a
private school. In this extremity the
be all right. The school doctors will
be able to at le&st keep children
sick with communicable diseases out
Of school, Bat even this last hope
may prove a delusion."
Replies to questionnaires sent to
other cities by the committee showed
that Washington not only lags far
behind In its medical inspection work
in the schools, but that the salaries
paid the medical inspection force are
comparatively low. Eighteen cities,
s@en larger and ten smaller than
Washington answered the question
ilafreS.
Comparing the number of persons
engaged in medical. dental and nurs-
Ing work in the Washington schools
with similar figures for other cities, 1t
was somewhat disconcerting to the
committee to find that the National
Capital ranks eleventh in the number
Of doctors and sixteenth in number of
nurses, and fourth in number OF
dshtises. The latter rank, however,
fs based on replies from 10 Of the 10
cities. In other words the committee
learned that Is cities averaged Is
doctors, while Washington has 10;
that Is cities averaged 81 nurses.
while Washington has 10, and that 10
cities averaged ID dentists, while
washington has IL.
salaries Lower.
4 study Of the salaries paid the
medical inspection stats in other
ciltes showed that Washington ranks
tenth in IA cities in salary paid the
chief medical inspector; eighth in IS
cities in salary paid school nurses,
and sixth in seven cities in salary
PAID dental hygienists.
The average salary Of the chief
medical inspector in IA cities was
found to be $4.675, or almost 5000
more than the Washington rate. The
District pays school nurses $65 more
than the average for the Is cities re-
porting. but cities pay their school
nurses an average salary Of $1,863. or
almost 5000 more than Washington.
Finally, II Of Is cities reported the
employment of medical specialists.
such as oculists and psychiatrists.
Washington children are deprived Of
such specialized service.
The committee which made the
study was composed Of Wallace
Hatch, chairman; Mrs. r. Thomas
West, DR.. Louise Taylor Jones, Miss
Gertrude H. Bowling, Mr.. and Mrs
Louis Gutenberg, DR.. w. l.. Darby,
Walter s. Ufford. DR.. Joseph A. Muir
ply and Dorsey w. Hyde. jr., ex-ofticio
member. D
ir it's report, the Committee said:
with comparatively small force
" professionals working part time
Rnd for the most part at the lowest