Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINIAL COMMUNICATIONS. 221
of an early stage at best, and that their ab- and daughters. Physicians throughout the
sence, even if continued, is of no value South, especially . should study school probwhatever
in ruling out the disease.
Finally, I would urge the necessity of
lems and put themselves in a position to
regulate many abuses that now exist At
continual study and practice as a requisite least one well qualified physician should be
,
for attaining accuracy in diagnosis. Xor- on every school board in the South,.and it
mal chests should be constantly studied and is not suflncient that these physicians should
results kept clearly in mind, in order that inspect regularly the schools under their
the slightest variations may be detected separate jurisdictions. Full histories should
when the presence of disease is suspected, be obtained and recorded of every pupil's
Candler Building. physicial condition at the beginning and
. close of ever^' scholastic year. These histo-
Thc Influence of Modern Education on ries should be recorded by the card index
tbe Physical Development ol Woman.* system and should be very complete, show-
BvD.L. Wilkinson,.\.B.,M. I), Montevallo, Ala. i"g "ot only the pupil's past history, but
^ also his family history. There should be
, ,
For the past eleven years have been
^g^orded then 'the pupil's present physical
studying the educational problem from the
condition, the number of studies he is carstandpoint
o Its immediate and remote
rying, etc. Notes should be made and pereffects
upon the development of our women, ^^^^^j inspections made of the pupil's home
During these years I have been physician
surroundings. The teacher should be refor
nearly .50UU college women between the
p^^j^^ ^pon as to his or her physical condiages
of 14 and 21. I have now oyer oOO
^-^^^ temperament, habits, cleanliness, etc;
under my care. .Many of these girls have ^ I ^^p^^^ ^f ^^^-^ ^.-^^ ,,,ou,(j read about as
I been measured and weighed, their family
foUo^^g. ^^ry Doe, ?ged l.S, residence 218
land past personal histories obtained, thnr
Blank Street; mother died from tuberculosis,
sight and hearing tested, their menstrual
^j^^y j^^^ ^^^ measles, scarlet fever and
histories recorded, and their own observawhooping
cough; adenoids, enlarged tonsils,
I
lions noted as to their physical condition
i
gstignatic, undersized, pallid, anaetic heart
(before and after beginning college work,
j^urmurs, muscles flabby; home surround-
1 In addition to this I have largely culled the j^^^ unsanitary, sleeps with three others in
I literature,swapped
t
reports with other college
^-^^^^ room, meals sufficient in quantity, but
physicians, etc. I can only conclude that as
poorly prepared. Teacher aduised as to
1 at present conducted, modern educational
^j,^ number of studies and hours of recita"
methodsarerepletewithmistakes.periucious ^j^,,. parents advised as to necessity for
to well rounded physical development, the
removal of adenoids and tonsils, the wearhighest
mental attainment and a stable
j^^ ^f glasses, and the improvement of
nervous equitibrium. It also adds its (luo'.a
^^^^^ conditions; teacher, healthy, of cleanto
occular disease, consumption, gynecic
j^ habits, but peevish and not alive to the
troubles, sterility and marital unhappiness.
importance of properly caring for the health
The greatest economic mistake of the age
^f ^^^ pupils. The school inspector should
consists in permitting a continuation of
^^p^rt on not only every thing relating to
neuroses, physical defects and stigmata of
jjj^ schools sanitary condition, but also
degeneracy, where possible to prevent
everything any where near the school buildi^^^-
ing that may in any way affect the health-
,
If education is To fit us for complete livfulness
of the pupils. He should insist uping",
as Tillotson has defined, its object
on the correlation of physical development
can not be the accumulation of usele.5S
and education without regard to the accomknowledge,
but it must meaJi storing away pHshingof a maximum mental work. Inotnof
knowledge that finds its greatest use.
gr words a maximum is not desirable for an
What greater use can knowledge find than
average— as our teachers seem to demand,
the knowledge of how to live? This means
-phese histories and such other information
Ithat we must know some anatomy, much ^g ^jjj readily suggest itself should be tabphysiology,
and a great deal of hygiene,
ulated so that at any time any information
sanitations, preventiee medicine and chemdesired
concerning any school or pupil may
'Stry.
In these particulars, our schools and colleges
are sadly deficient. We, ourselves,
largely responsible for this state of affairs.
We have been too busy with the
treatment of diseased conditions to sufficiently
consider the education of our sons
be readily accessitale to either parent, pupil,
teacher, physician, health officer or super-
intendant of education. Some such forward
^^^^ supplemented by regular lectures on
^j^^ ^^re of the body, hygiene; sanitation,
preventive medicine, and kindred subjects,
^ould soon bring about a much better physi"
•Read before the Southern Medical Association, cal condition and a higher citizenship,
AOanta, Georgia, last Fall. especially if the inspectors are given the