Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-04
urges PHYSIOLOGY
. IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
DR.. A. ]. Carlson Tells lnsti-
tute of Public Affairs
of Civic Need.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

4.-Human physiology should be taught
from the kindergarten with as much
emphasis as is now given to reading
and writing, DR.. A. j. Carlson, profess
sor of physiology at the University OF
Chicago, told the Institute OF Public
Affairs here last night.
Speaking in behalf Of the White
House Conference on Child Health and
Protection, Dr. Carlson said the future
wellbsing of the American people de-
ponds largely on generally diffused
knowledge of human life processes, now
mostly the exclusive possession OF eX-
perts.
1T has become as important in the
education of the child for citizenship"
he said, that he be given a program
of training from the kindergarten
through the high school in the functions
of the body as continuous and thorough
as our established education, in the
three Rs. This involves in part re-
study Of our whole primary and Sec
ondary educational program, a refrain
ing of teachers and, possibly, the scrap
ping OF some of our present curricula.
Adds to Uneducated.
1.-THE longer we delay, the more mil
lions of biologically uneducated fathers
and mothers are added to society, to
again be faced with the ignorance and
bewilderment as to the welfare Of their
own children, which we see in so many
millions of parents today.
THE kind of education I have in
mind in our high schools is net series
of thou shalt notS' on tobacco, alco-
hol, toothbrush, caliSthenics and bath,
but rather the evidence direct from
nature, from the living human body
and from simple experiments graded
to the age of the child. This calls for
new intellectual equipment of our
teachers. Has it ever struck you as
incongruous that We have in our high
schools teachers specially trained and
giving their entire time to the teach
ing of Latin, German, French or bot
any, but not one teacher specially
trained in and giving entire time to
human biology and physiology"
Great obstacles stand in the way of
reaching this ideal. Prof. Carlson adj
mitt:d, especially large degree of pop
ular prejudice. For this he urged SLOW
compromise sprinkled with intelligent
coercion in exceptional cases."
Attacks Ignorance.
There are among us fathers and
mothers" he said, who reject in whole
or in part modern knowledge of the
cause, control, cure and prevention Of
disease as a consequence of their phil
osophy of the nature of man and the
nature of the world. They are only
very small minority, but they consti-
tute a real difficulty in the application
of proven facts, not only to their own
children, but to other children. There
are communities in the United States
where only two out of every 100 chill
dren under years old are vaccinated
The reason must be largely parental
ignorance"
Children, DR.. Carlson insisted, should
not be made to suffer from the poverty
of their parents I'VE preach" he said,
economic foresight and prudence, par
ticularly on the part of those who
assume the responsibility of parent
hood. But, granting the greatest thrift,
how can anything be put aside for
rainy day in families of eight or more
children where food, house rent and
clothes must come out of a weekly
wage Of from SIS to $50?
And let us not forget that even an
adult, educated man still is a good
deal of a monkey, a very initiative
animal. The expensive automobiles, |
the mink coats, the diamond in the |
home of citizens with economic security |
lead to the jitney, the imitation silk |
and the glass beads in the homes of |
those who live perennially on the |
economic brink.
Urges Economic Prudence.
IF economic prudence is useful and |
necessary in the citizen, why is it not |
an equally necessary principle in indus |
trial corpora tons? Why should not |
modern industrial ethics include the |
putting aside of surplus earnings as an |
assurance for the human cogs of in
duStry in slack times
There are still g.eat gaps in scientific |
knowledge of the physiology of the |
child, DR.. Carlson admitted, despite IAN |
almost explosive advance during the |
last generation of our knowledge in the |
field OF nutrition and of the endocrine |
glands. The nature and control of the |
hunger and appetite mechanisms need |
much further study, particularly in |
connection with the distressing fire. |
quency of malnutrition in homes where |
there is no dearth of quantity or quality |
of food. The emotional intensity or |
stability OF childhood may play part. |
Some competent pediatricians suspect |
it may be sequel to a prolonged diet |
on almost exclusively one kind of food.
such as milk. If SO, the control is in
the elimination of milk.
THE relation of adequate diet to the
ultimate intellectual capacity and brain
function of the adult is another I'M
BECAUSE
OF the chronic undernouriShment of |
the children of industrial workers in
times OF depression. Prolonged Starva-
ton in adults seems to decrease mental i
endurance. The danger point in phys-
1cal and mental activity beyond which |
injurious fatigue sets in is another
unknown of the first quality"
Eight Per Cent Handicapped.
Nearly eight per cent of the school
population was shown by recent |
study to be either physically or men
tally handicapped, said William ].
Ellis, head of the New jersey Depart
ment OF Institutions and Agencies. The
number of blind, deaf, crippled and
sick, he said, is more than 10000. 900.
Judge Jonah j. Goldstein of the New
York Magistrates Court urged that
much Of the attention paid to the
transferred to the grading of offenders.
Thus. he said, there are numerous
grades OF stealing, such as grand and
petty larceny, stealing in the night
time, HOUSEKEEPING, etc. whereas ac-
tually it is the same crime, however
committed, and the real concern of
the court should be with the sort of
man who did the stealing.
Calls U. S. More WarIike.
The popular idea that Latin Amer
lean countries have been especially J
warlike is fallacy, DR.. John II.
Latane of Johns Hopkins University
told the Round Table on Latin Amer
lean Affairs.
For the past century" he said.
South America has been far freer
from international wars than any other
quarter of the globe. If we count the
RfI1o1 nf - l
States has been more addicted to war
than the average South American
state. The comparative freedom from
wars in South America has been due