Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02

JESUS herself, aICS IIle OOCVOT, Keeps HSC~
ords and makes reports to teachers and
parents She performs innumerable
first-aid services, takes ailing pupils
home, aids parents in finding medical
services and money to pay for them.
She also visits the homes of sick chill
dren and teaches parents how to care
for them.
No school Office offers so many oppor-
tunities for good Samaritan services,
and no school officers are more devoted
to their children than are school nurses.
Yet the school nurse is a modern addi-
ton to the staff. It is doubtful whether
one adult in 100 over 40 years old who
reads these words ever saw or heard Of
a school nurse" during his or her
school life.
Handicaps Overcome.
A rapidly developing health service Of
public schools consists of efforts to re-
store physically handicapped pupils to
fitness for life activities. Malnourished
children are provided with milk at little
or no cost. Children who can pay for
milk do so. Funds for needy cases are
obtained easily from parent-teacher as
sociations or other organizations, or
from boards of education. This is an
important service, since so many chill
dren leave home each morning with no
more in their stomachs than "eup Of
coffee and rolls"
Pretubercular and otherwise delicate
children are taught in "open air" class
rooms by specially trained teachers.
Schools for crippled children provide
facilities in which surgical and nursing
care are carried on coincidentally with
scholastic activities. Hard-of hearing
pupils are not further handicapped by
contact with teachers and playmates
whom they cannot hear, but are taught
in special classes.
Today most large cities have special
schools for their more seriously physi-
cally handicapped pupils, but here the
question Of state medicine" becomes
acute. The problem Is best expressed
by asking 'how far is the school justi-
ned in going in the treatment of de-
fectS discovered by school officers?"
Obviously the school must administer
first aid. But should it purchase
glasses, or vaccinate, or remove tonsils,
or strengthen backs or legs by surgery?
This problem is one which must soon
be solved. All that may be predicted
now is that If other agencies-the
home, charity, or public health authori-
ties-do not care for children the
school will, sooner or later, be forced
to make its own corrections. For it
Will become intolerable to keep a child
In school, treating him for ignorance,
ing his physical weaknesses, which are
major defects.
Mental Hygiene Introduced.
Mental hygiene presents a recent and
highly significant development in
health education. It Is the function Of
mental hygiene in the schools to pro-
tect the mind from harm, and to
eliminate mental illness among school
children as their physical bodies are
protected and their physical ailments
are treated.
The bad boy" for example, Is a
case, not for disciplinary of1cer, but
for the mental hygienist. Probably the
fault lies with the boys parents and
teachers, rather than in himself. The
mental hygienist or school psychiatrist
seeks the causes and attempts to cure
the child through their eradication.
Many children are required to study
too hard, or too long, or on subjects
poorly adapted to their temperamerlts.
The mental hygienist will help here
When the ordinary services of the
| school have failed to solve the problem.
But mental hygiene may accomplish
ever more than returning problem chill.
dren to normal health and behavior.
Grades and marks, as used today, func-
ton as psychological whips, forcing
cnnoren to conform to school routine
lar more effectively land far more dis
aStrously) than the rod and Ounce caps.
discarded as barbarous 40 years ago.
Mental hygiene will assist greatly in
eliminating these instruments of mental
duress, which tend to develop highly
competitive attitudes among children
and often raise almost insurmountable
emotional barriers between pupils and
teacher.
Doubtless there are other teaching
procedures which create harmful COM
plexeS in pupils, arouse antagonistic
emotions and develop anti-social atti-
tuoes. THESE the mental hygtenist
must discover and aid teacher to mod
lIy-au IN the interests of mental
health and stability. 1t may safely be
predicted that mental hygiene will, in
the next decade, profoundly modify
many teaching practices.
Or increasing Importance is the pro-
gram OF intoxicating health habits of
nvlng In young children They must
De taught to drink milk and avoid
Gomez, eat at meal times only. sleep
WIN WINDOWS open, use individual
drinking cups. They must learn to
warmly outdoors and lightly indoors.
Iney must learn to brush their teeth
ana oathe regularly and a host of other
habits which nature has not had time.
IN our rapidly changing and kaleido.
scoplc environment, to build into their
native equipment.
New Devices Tested.
To accomplish these ends eIenoentarv
LeaCnAFC he al
out the day, for habits are not ACQUIRED
py rote. New devices" for teaching
naoitS are constantly being expert
mented with. The end Is not in sight
In this field of health education.
reaching children how intellirentlv
70 care Tor their own health durinr
aouit lie means giving them the most
pertinent information concerning nutri-
lion, ulseaSe, personal and community
hygiene, ETC., at the most appropriate
times and in the most effective WAYS
put there Is today practically no relia-
pie knowledge concerning the nature
OF the most pertinent information"
Wnlch children should have or. Of
course, when or how to teach it.
1hlS neld is the subject of much
research. 1t is likely that practically
an information concerning health viii
DC Caugnt as phases of other studies.
rot,,,s t oIe eCVIOLnlCS, biology, c1V1cS,
nature study and like subjects.
NO phase OF health education Is nm
dergoing more rapid changes than phv-
slcaI education. Placed In the schools
. 1910 as compulsory program for an
pupils over eight years old. A. WAS
primarily designed to develop physical
ntness, self-control and Cooperation
to render the body a more eficient
servant OF the mind. To this and
otner ends widely varying PROGRAMS
nave been introduced, from mill
tary training to free play. Lately games
ana sports have been Emphasized ss
navmg character training as wen IS
health values, until health has aIr,nnst