The Wilmington morning star., 1940-09-28
Medical Care

Medical Care e,
BY LOGAN CLENDENING, MS.
i Many school departments make
special provision for so-called ex.
ceptional children, includ'ag the
usually handicapped, the hard-of'
hearing, those with valvular heart
disease, and those presumably ir
danger of developing tuberculosis
The last group are provided fol
in open air classroom5, and are
variously described as delicate, I'm
dernourished, underweight and o:
lowered vitality. Because these
open air classrooms> have b eer
stimulated largely by local tuber
culosis associations, the Nationa
Association has felt a responsible
lily to review the problem and ap'
pointed a committee for that pur.
pose. The committees conclusions
should be of interests to many pa
rents whose children have been
examined and classified in t his
way.
Malnurition is a loosely used
term. Underweight is not neces-
sarily a symptom Of malnutrition,
nor. are all undernourished chill.
dren underWeight. A child may ap'
pear below par or anemic but the
idea has been abandoned that these
symptoms indicate necessarily a
predisposition to tuberculosis. The
crucial inquiry is as to whether
there has been contact or associa.
ton with an active case. The term
'pre-tuberculous" is no longer &C.
ceptable and its use should be dis
carded.
$500. Unbalanced Food
Children may be below par"
temporarily on account of recent
illness or operation. Or because of
unbalanced or badly selected food
at home, or other kinds of unhy-
gienic surroundings at home. They
should emphatically not be segre-
grated with children that actually
have tuberculosis infection.
Special classes for exceptional
children have undoubtedly made
a contribution to the improved
health of school children. One type,
the open air, has emphasized fresh
air, food and rest. Fresh air has
mistakenly been interpreted as
meaning large volumes of outdoor
air regardless of temperature. But
recent studies have shown that
cool air in gentle motion provides
the best condition for comfort and
for health.
Supplementary feeding a: school
is open to question. Adequate food
and regular meals at home are
best. Whatever the cause of in
adequate food may be, the solution
lies not in special classes but in
home adjustments.
Danger in Segregation
The school physician, nurse, and
teacher can select the below-par
groun and by follow-up study and
by conferences with the parents at
the home, gain the best under
standing of the underlying causes
of the condition. Segregation in
special classes is not necessary
and is detrimental to the child's
education and social development.
The responsibility of the below-par
child should emphatically be
shared by and divided between the
home and the school.
If it is definitely established that
a child actually has tuberculosis
infection, it should be segregated
and treated as an exceptional case.
But it is definitely felt that too
many children have heretofore
been put in that group. The sys-
tenn appeals to a lazy and sloppy
way of handling the problem, but
more and more emphasis is being
placed on NATURALIZATION in adj
justing such conditions. Every
child is a person, at east so far
up to this year Of grace in this
country.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
T. B. P.:-'What causes the toe
nails to thicken and become
loose?"
Answer-Almost always this is a
sign of infection of the nail bed.
Sometimes it is a ringvorm infec-
ton, sometimes a sluggish pus in
lection. In severe cases it is nee
essary to treat the nail bed surgi-
cally.
M. M.:-"After ones thyroid
gland has been removed will thy
roid tablets have any effect when
taken to reduce?"
Answer-Yes, thyroid extract
has the same effect on the body
under all circumstances.
N.D.A.:-'I am troubled with
severe twitching in the nerves in
my face. Is there anything that
would cure it?"'
,Answer-This sounds like trifa.
cial neuralgia. Any doctor can give
advice and remedies for that..4