The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1907. MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12144, 21 September 1907, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1907. MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.

The object of all true education is to produce the best type of citizen, an individual well developed physically, mentally, and morally. lin tlhe attainment of the result a good physique is necessary before a. child can benefit from the. educational alvantages the State provides. The healthi and physique of the children axe also of first importance to the country, because on the mental and physical well-being of the children at present attending our schools depends the standard of efficiency of the next generation. This, we know, is the opinion of Dr. Mason, the Chief Health Officer of the Dominion and many other earnest 'educationalists in New Zealand I The English mail,'to hand last evening, bears evidence that a similar opinon is gaining ground in the Mother Country. The views of advanced thinkers uilong these lines are ably voiced by Elizabeth Sloan Chesser, M.8., who strongly urges the Home authorities to make the medical inspection of school children compulsory. Writing last month, in one of the leading London dailies, this lady regarded it as "a, welcome sign of the times'.' that the health' of school children should be receiving tlie attention of an international congress then in session, in London. It clannot be denied', she says, that up to the present time England has not taken her proper place among tihe great nations of the world in recognising this important branch of State medicine. During the last quarter of a century medical inspection ffoas (been established, in France, Germany, Norway, and other European.countries. France was one of the earliest countries to realisel its importance! More than seventy years ago j laws were passed providing for school physicians. But it was in Brussels, in 1874. that weekly medical inspection of sdliools was first instituted. In Germany there are 676 medical inspectors of schools; in Paris, 128; in Brussels, . 32; and! in Hungary, 80. In Japan | nearly 9,000 school doctors are employ- j

Ed at the schools and. training colleges, more than double the number of all the other countries added together. .. The United1 States also are far ahead of England in this work. In Great Britain school medical officers, whose chief duties consist iw attending to the sanitary conditions of the buildings, etc., Shave been appointed] By eighty-five educational authorities. "Up to the present time it would seem that very little systemsatised effort has been mad)© in this direction. Mr. Birrell's Education Bill embodied the principle for the first time in England tUiat it is the duty of the State to look after the health' and to promote the development of the children 17110™ it compels to attend school. Unfortunately, that Bill was destroyed owing to the antagonism of the House of Lords. Mi?s Chesser sets out, clearly and concisely, the arguments in favour of medical inspection. Her relasoning is specifically directed to the schools of tho Mother Country, but it will be seen that what she says applies wifcft equal force to us:—Each' school in this country is a centre froni which infectious diseases may be disseminated at any moment. One-seventh of the population goes to school, and may carry home any infection existing in the school. A child "sickening" for one of tihe infectious fevers may attend school for several days without its parents or teachers recognising that it is ill. Modi-, cal inspection would provide early diagnosis, exclusion from school of any child suffering from infectious disease, and the prevention of epidemics in schools. It would1 be unfair, even ridiculous, to expect teachers to recognise the signs and symptoms of the infectious fevera. A child may have scarlet fever, or diphtheria, or measles in. so mild a form as not to attract the notice of any one un- . trained in medical diagnosis. Preven- ■ tion of disease is not only easier, but cheaper than "cure, and medical inspection .of schools would* go Bar to prevent the diffusion both of infectious and 0$ contagious disease. The necessity for wide and well-regulated medical inspec* tion is also being more fully realised in regard to the terrible increase of short sight and of deafness amongst sdhbol children, both of which could have been prevented by the institution of adequate medical inspection years ago. A large number of school children are at present handicapped by defective sight and hearing. In many cases both child and teachers are< unaware of such defects, and the child may be blamed for stupidity or laziness wifoen the real cause fs some error of refraction, such as shorteight, or astigmatism:, or some defect of hearing. Headaches, night terrors, nervous affections in children attending school are not infrequently "the direct result of some error of refraction. It has been estimated that one in every ten school children in London suffers from defective vision! Recent investigations go to prove tliat the- deafness which'is present to a greater or less degree inllo per cent, of school children •is largely due to adenoid growths in "the nasal passages, which eorald be remedied in their early stages, but are neglected or overlooked till permanent damage to the -ears has been done. Here,, again, the appointment of school doctors would, ensure the discovery and removal of th<* cause of the ill-health, headarihe, stupiditjy, as. well as deafness, of a considerable number of children attending our schools. Examination of the*.teeth and mouth conditions of school children and attention to stopping and removal of decayed iteeth would help to retard the present increase of dyspepsia, with its influence upon the physical degeneration of the race. Regular inspection of children during their school years would reveal whether or not they were suffering from mental defects. The doctor would be enabled io observe any sign of over-pressure cr 'bran fag. Children are often diffcult to manage and inattentive simply from overfatigue on the approach of some nervous affection, such as St. Vitus's Dance, epilepsy, or liysteria. The teacher, through ignorance, frequently punishes what is in reality incipient diseases. He may be so intent upon the intellectual development of his pupils that* he is dangerously liable to overlook the physi<ral signs of excessive application to the routine of school work. With the aid of regular medical inspection he would more quickly detect signs of ill-health or abnormal conditions of mind and body. The teacher could also> do a great deal towards flfoe physical development of the child, if lie had sufficient technical knowledge. It may b& admitted that he is anxious to do the best he can— ./physically, as well as intellectually, and f morally—for the children under his '■ charge. But to do this efficiently lie must be trained to grasp the signfiqance of the mens sana in corpore sano. He must realise that ihygienic environment . and conditions are essential for com- . plete development. And1 who is €0 teach him practical commonsense, hygienej and the elementary principles of the laws of health but; the medical inspector? The school doctor would have to train the candidates for teachers' certificates in hygiene and preventive medicine. Over 80 per cent, of children are born healthy. The death roll of 120,000 • children under the age of twelve months " in England and Wales every year is due in great part to the deplorable ignorance of their parents. The instruction of school girls in the elementary laws ' of health, especially in relation to the rearing of children, would be another result of efficient medical inspection. It is far more important» for the future mothers in the country to learn something of th© management and care of childi-en to realise the importance of '> fresh air, light, and good food, than for them to acquire figures and fiacts and statistics which may be ornamental, but are certainly not useful. Lastly, medical inspection is of educational value \o the entire population by bringing to the attention of parents and the general public the fundamental laws of health. The co-operation of parents and teachers would materially add to the success of the movement. Where medical inspee-. tion has been in different - schools, immediate improvement in the children's conditions has been remarked. /The child1 is better looked after at' home: improved cleanliness is tlia firs*

alt. When the children are to be rsically examined by "the doctor," mother r'ses to the occasion with a teral tubbing and clean underdloth-

Cleanliness in itself makes for imved health conditions. Many of the lor contagious skin and eye diseases present existing amongst school^ Chiln only require cleanliness and simple ;ienic management to abolish them.