Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-01-15

people the fact that one-third to one
half of our young men are unfit for
full military service because of ply
steal defects, many Of which are cor
rectable. We have begun to face the
problem of properly caring for our
school children in serious and
right-mind fashion realizing the vast
amount of work which lies before US.
The Scope Of School Hygiene--The
activities included in school hygiene
naturally fall into three groups:
l. Health supervision or the care
of the physical well-being of the
child
2. instruction in Hygiene or the
education of the child in matters of
health.
8. Proper sanitation of school build
ings and grounds, the preparation of
proper conditions for study, and the
conduct of school work under n.y.
gienic conditions.
School authorities keenly realize
the difficulties in educational progress
caused by the special physical, ment-
al and temperamental disabilities
from which certain children suffer
These children have defects which
make it desirable and in some cases
imperative, both. for their own good
end in some cases imperative, both
for their own good and in justice to
other pupils, that their education be
conducted in special classes apart
from the public school, Such defect
ives have been divided into the fol-
lowing eight classes by authority:
/. Nervous children.
2. Backward children, consisting of
two main subdivisions:
(a) Dull children whose backward
ness is due to some accidental cause.
(b) Dull children with inherent di-
minished capacity for book learning.
3. Mentally defective children:
(a) Predetermined.
(D1 lmDlcllS ana lQlOCS.
A. Children with defective vision or
blindness.
S. Children with defective hearing,
deafness or deaf mutism.
6. Physically defective children, in
GLIDING cripples.
z. Epileptic children.
8. Children suffering from combin-
alton of physical and mental de-
fects, e. g., the blind idiot, the feeb-
le-minded deaf child.
Obviously the education of these
chilrden is a health problem as well
as an educational problem, and medi-
cal service is necessary in handling
the problem of special classes.
The following table presents the
scope of the health supervision in
more detail:
I Regular, periodical, physical
examination of children.
(2) Correcting physical defects in
children, eyes, ear, nose, throat, pos
ture and nutrition.
80 Checking incipient maladies.
(4) Correcting unhygienic habits of
living with follow-up work at home.
90 Dental examination, prophy-
laxis, repair and instruction.
(6) Prevention of Communicable
Diseases.
The Personnel should include four
types of specially trained people for
the administration of the medical
side of school inspection, the physi-
clan, the dentist, the school nurse and
the dental hygienist. I wish to
speak briefly of the duties of the
school nurse, because at this time we
are trying to secure for this county
a competent nurse, who would have
variety of duties in assisting in
the routine of medical inspection,
visiting homes and interviewing par
ents, visiting schools and examin-
ing children for infectious diseases,
assisting in treatment at the school
clinic and frequently giving instruc~
ton in hygiene to the pupils. 1t is
therefore highly important that she
have the ability Of making the pro-
per contact with pupils and parents,
as well as the ability to detect com
municable diseases and assist the
physician. If she is to instruct in
the school she should know something
about teaching as we'll as nursing be-
cause they are two distinct profess
ions. It no more follows that nurse
can teach than that a teacher can
nurse. The nurse is the point of
contact between the family, the child
and the school medical authorities
and upon her common sense and
practical work often depends the sue
cess of the plan. Her failure to Sc
cure the cooperation of the parents in