Evening star., 1947-07-21

For Irma Gene Nevins. then head
of the Department of Health and
Physical Education for Women at
Kansas State Teachers College, the
consequences were to alter her life.
Serious internal injuries made two
major operations necessary. She
knew she'd never be able to direct
another hockey game: that tennis
and badminton, in which she ex-
celled, were out for good.
She spent 13 weeks in the hospi-
tai. That gave her time to think.
It analyzed the accident and faced
the fact that I had been at fault, "
she recalled. Then I asked myself
if I could do anything to keep acci-
dents like that from happening to
Others"
Wrote School Course.
AS a teacher. Miss Nevins' thoughts
naturally turned to schools. When
she was on her feet again, she ap-
preached the State superintendent
of education. If she'd write course
of instruction in safety education
for the elementary schools, he prom
ised to use 1t.
The course was introduced in 1887.
(Miss Nevins says one of her big
gest thrills came last year when
Kansas won two high awards in the
field of traffic-the American Auto
mobile Association grand prize and
National Safety Council traffic
safety award)
She continued to press for instruc-
tion in safety education and, in
1910, the Kansas State College be-
came the first teachers college to
offer a minor In the subject, adding
director of the safety division" to
her titles.
Since that time, she has become
a national authority on health and
safety. And in December, 1916, the
American Red Cross made her ma
tional director of accident preven-
ton.
Miss Nevins was the first woman
to be certified as an instructor in
driver education and training by
the American Automobile Associa-
ton. Later, she started the AAA
driver education training program
in the Kansas high schools.
Studied. Home Accidents.
AS her reputation grew as pio-
neer in the field of safety education,
she was offered a fellowship at the
Center for Safety Education at New
York University in 1888. In 194l,
she received a doctorate in educa-
ton there-the first woman to re-
ceive a doctors degree in the field
of safety education.
She added another first to her
record when she chose the subject
of her dissertation-"Home Acct
dents and Their Prevention" Up
to that time, there had been no de-
tailed study of the cause of home
accidents and no similar research
has been made since. Enlisting the
aid of the National Organization for
Public Health Nurses, she obtained
detailed data on home accidents in
eight major cities. Altogether, her
research covered 500 cases.
The results of her study are fas-
cinating. For instance, she learned
that the frequency days for acci-
dents are Saturday and Monday
and that the accident frequency
hours are just before mealtime.
Much of her material has been
used by the American Red Gross
in its accident prevention in
structors' manual. She donated her
dissertation to the Red Cross. II
did all of the work for it on fel-
lowships and felt it was only right
that it be given to an agency that
could use it for the public good,
she said.
Public Not Interested.
DR.. Nevins says the biggest hur-
die in prevention of home accidents
is the fact they don't interest the
public They just aren't exciting"
she said. Nobody believes he's go
ing to fall from ladder, or slip
on the bathroom floor, or lose an
eye as a result of running into a
door jamb. The only home acci-
dent that is dramatic is a fire. And
the time to hold a fire clinic, of
course, is before the fire"
The most effective way to pre-
vent home accidents Is to instill
proper habits in a child while he is
very young. she believes. And the
approach should always be positive.
you must show the child that
preventing accidents provides ad-
venture" she said. And don't say
DON'T but do"
At the present time the Red Cross
in concentrating on providing a
safety education program for the
use Of schools throughout the coun-
try and DR.. Nevins is busy pre-
pairing material for it. She is also
giving thought to program to
reach old people Twenty per cent
of all accidents in the home in
volve children S years of age or