Evening star., 1927-09-02
DEFECTS ARE FOUND
IN MANY PUPILS
95 Per Cent of 1851 Younger
Children Examined Here
Show Physical Faults.

NinetY-five per cent of the 3.761 pu'
pills in the kindergartens and first
grades of the District public schools
who were given complete medical ex
aminations last year were found to
have some physical defect, according
to the annual report of DR.. William G..
Fowler, health officer. submitted today
to Commissioner Sidney +, Taliaferro.
While n number of the defects found
were of more or less minor impor'
tance, DIR. Fowler explained that they
should he corrected. He laid particu'
lar stress on the need for more thor
ough examination of school children,
pointing out that the medical and den
tai inspection in the public schools is
one of the most important activities of
his department.
4l,.16 Examinations.
The total number OF physical exami-
nations made by the medical inspec'
tcrs during the school year were al
7T6, the repora declared, but only 1851
of these were thorough and they We're
given TO pupils IN the kindergartens
and first grades. The outstanding de
fects of the group of 1851 were listed
as follows:
Detective teeth. 67.S per cent;
diseased tonsils, 46.7 per cent en-
larged corvical glands. 33.2 per cent;
poor nutrition. 24.3 per cent; defec-
tive nasal breathing, 21.9 per cent;
defective vision 1913 per cent;
orthopedic defects. 10.9 per cent;
anaemia. 81 per cent: skin and para
site disease, 66 per cent; chronic
nasal catarrh So per cent; defective
speech. AS per cent; pulmonary
diseases. 4.6 per cent; nervous sys-
tenn. 4 per cent, and cardiac disease.
2.3 per cent.
DR.. Fowler also pointed out that
of ia pupils who were retarded in
their classes and given physical eX-
animation. 100. or 96.7 per cent were
found to have some physical defect.
More Clinics Needed.
"The medical and dental inspection
in the public schools of this District
is one of the most important branches
of the Health Department work, "
said DIR. Fowler The personnel en-
gagged in the work. however, is very
inadequate. A much larger corps of
medical and dental inspectors and
school nurses is badly needed in
order to give the children in the
schools of this District the care that
they are entitled to. More dental
clincs are also urgently needed.
THE District of Columbia is far be-
hind many of the other large cities in
it's school medical and dental work,
and it is hoped that something may be
done to secure a more adequate force
properly to carry on the work. The
present force consists of / chief medi-
cal inspector II medical and dental
inspectors and dental operators, all
of whom are only part-time employees.
In addition, there are 10 school nurses
and dental hygienists.'
Besides the medical examinations
given the pupils, the Health Depart
ment also examined ,095 applicants
for appointment as teachers or for ad-
mission to the normal schools, and of
this number :66 or 3S.4 per cent, the
report showed, were passed. Six hun
dred and seventy-four others were
passed conditionally. however. hut ,
were rejected definitely and SO reject
ed temporarily.
Births Show Decrease.
A section of the report devoted to
morbidity and mortality statistics
showed that there were 1888 deaths
i'm the District in the calendar year of
1926, an increase of 372 over the pre-
ceding year. On the other hand, the
number of births during the same
period decreased from 9,173 in 1925 to
1904 last year.
The general death rate according to
the report showed slight decline. The
rate for 1925 was 14.09 for 900 per
population, compared with 1899 for
1926.
OF the 1883 deaths, 4,59S were white
and 2,790 colored. These figures give
q a I nd n nj.
ored of 20.S7. A comparison of these
rates with those of the previous year
shows the white death rate increased
from 11.37 to 11.G6 per 1000 popula-
ton. while the colored declined from
22.6S to 20.S7. In considering the most
potent cause of death. Dr.. Fowler
found that diseases of the heart rank
first, with a total of / ,142 deaths, and
pneumonia second, with 807. Nephri.
tbs was responsible for 733 deaths, pull
monary tuberculosis, 532, and apo
plexy, SIG.
Dr. Fowler remarked in his report
that a decrease in infant mortality
from S73 for each ! 900 births in
1925 to S4.5 In 1925 lis very crafty
ing"
DIR. Fowler recommended that some
drastic measure be taken by the Com
missioners to protect the public from
attacks by vicious or unmuZzled dogs,
pointing out that the number of ami
mails found suffering from rabies in.
creased from 67 in 1925 to III last
year, and that the number of persons
reported to have been bitten by dogs
jumped from Il in 1925. TO 123 last
year.