Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

CHAPTER
13
HISTORICAL STEPS IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE
MODERN SCHOOL HEALTH
PROGRAM
K ENNETH E. V ESELAK
T he three phases of the modern school health program, namely, healthful school living,
health education, and health services had their conception during the nineteenth
century (American Child Health Association, 1929, p. 31).
HEALTHFUL SCHOOL LIVING
The first phase of the school health program that received attention was that of healthful
school living. During the nineteenth century the term “ school hygiene ” was used to
describe this phase of the program (Van Dalen, Mitchell, & Bennett, 1953, p. 374).
Several publications produced at this time indicate that school hygiene was primarily
concerned with problems of school sanitation and construction. In 1829, William A.
Alcott expressed the need for improving school buildings in his publication Construction
Note: This article is intended to be read for its pholosophical perspective. Originally published in 1959, it may
contain factual material or examples that are dated.