The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-09-27
Let Our Motto Be
GOOD HEALTH
BY DR.. LLOYD ARNOLD
Professor OF Baerenology and Preventive
Medicine. University of Illinois,
College OF Medicine.
SCHOOL LIFE A HEALTH
ADVENTURE

g OHOOL In the minds of children
y and parents of children is health
adventure for all. During the summer.
children are usually In a good state
of health They spend most of the
time out of doors and so store up
sunshine. Outside of a few digestive
disturbances, caused by sunburn or
bad water on some camping trip or
overeating of picnic food, they have
been quite generally free of ailments
since early last spring.
Now how will they stand the fall
and winter. housed as they will be
for hours day with some forty other
children coming from as many different
family environments VIII they be en-
posed to some disease. such as diph-
iberia, scarlet fever, whooping cough.
or measles7 VIII there be an epidemic
of colds7 VIII some child In the room
show signs Of tuberculosis, making
you uneasy for the health Of your
own7
Particularly Is school Z health adj
venture for the child of five or six
years who is entering for the first
time this new life of education. and
who has never before been In close
contact with other individuals than
his own family group and his neigh
boring playmates. 1t Is critical time
for this little John or little Mary.
Every one gets accustomed to the In
When 4 child starts school. he or she
has an established community of bac-
terial life In the covering layers OF
the nose and throat that lis much like
the bacterial life in the covering lay
ers of the nose and throat of the 9TH
er members of the family. Now he
enters another germ world complete
iy. Each child transfers the germs
from his own body through hands.
pencils. coughing. sneezing. loud talk
Ing and shouting, to the nose and
throat OF other children. The school
and recreation places become clearing
houses for the exchange of the bac-
terlal flora of the upper respiratory
passages
II your child has had tonsilItis, ade-
noids, or chronic sore throat. he or
she will carefully collect. preserve and
grow all the newly acquired germs
from the forty or more other chill
dren. II your child. on the other hand.
has 4 nose and throat that are per-
fectly normal. these organs will func-
ton 30 as to tend to destroy most OF
the new invisible visitors AS a result
there will very soon be established
different kind OF bacterial fora In
the nose and throat which Ia harmless
to the child. Your physician can de-
termine whether your child's nose and
throat are normal Abnormal and dis
eased tonsIls and adenoids should be
corrected before ! child starts school
Diphtheria can be prevented by vac
cination. You should have your child
immunized or vaccinated against dlph-
iberia for the following reasons: First.
to prevent an Illness that terminates
fatally about once among every ten
or twelve cases OF the disease Diph-
iberia Is very serious ailment. ono
of the most serious a child encoun-
tiers. Diphtheria In avoidable and 1t Is
useless to subject your child to this
hazard. Second. you should want to
protect the other children In the
school against getting diphtheria
from your child. During the period
of sore throat before the actual Group
or diphtheria develops, child
spreads thousands OF diphthcra
germs, and Is a serious menace to the
health and even the life of his play
mates. Third. vaccination will pre-
vent the heart, kidneys or other body
organs from damage which may de-
velop as consequence Of the dis
ease. Recovery from diphtheria may
leave irreparable damage to vital
body organs. Recently Doctor Arm
strong of the United States Public
Health Service reported that children
vaccinated against diphtheria enjoy
a resistance to other diseases more
than unvaccinated children. II la a
protection you should give your
child
Have your dentist see that your
child has no decayed or defective
teeth that will give trouble during
the school year The dentist can an
ticipate toothache and can repair the
damage before the pain begins. And
he can aid In advising diets to make
healthier and stronger teeth.
Also see that your childs eyes are
not defective A child does not know
whether he has or has not good WIS.,
ion. Children who cannot see the
printed line clearly do not recognize
bad eyes as the trouble because they
have never enjoyed correct vision.
Satisfactory and rapid progress OF
your child In school will depend more
upon his or her state OF health than
upon the teachers, books or system
OF instruction. In educating our chill
dren we spend a lot of money for
buildings and their maintenance and
Tor the teaching staff. only too often
forgetting the Importance OF health
In the process. A properly trained