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important work. A teacher well-informed upon the principles of
hygiene would be enabled to keep a watchful eye upon the health of
the children entrusted to his or her care, and would, at the same time,
help to obtain the most healthy environment and the best hygienic
conditions for the scholars. Every scholar represents a certain social
value, capable of being increased by attention to his physical, intellectual,
and moral culture; this value is diminished or lost if from
neglect of early treatment of disease or of hygienic precautions the
scholar fails in health. Hence, periodical medical inspection of scholars
as well as of schools is imperatively demanded in the interests of the
community. It is this personal aspect of school hygiene which, excepting
in a comparatively small number of instances, has been neglected
in this country. Special and frequent examination of school children
should be made for mild and unrecognised cases of infectious disease,
defective sight, deafness, and other physical defects.
The School Attendance Officers require to be brought (and doubtless
will be brought under the new order of things) in closer touch with
the Medical Officer of Health. More prompt information as to absentees
is desirable, and his co-operation in helping to check unhealthy and
vicious conditions of life in the homes which he is constantly visiting
could not fail to be of great advantage to the sanitary authority.
Many of the above matters can easily be provided for; but some
I fully recognise, present difficulties of an administrative or economic
character, but all can and will be overcome in the immediate future,
and the gain to the next generation will fully compensate for some
extra trouble and expense in initiating these very desirable reforms.
It must be constantly borne in mind by those who take upon
themselves the important function of controlling or directing education,
that the end of all education is to produce capable citizens, and that
the scholar who is compelled to attend school should be protected in
every possible way against any risks to health. The most brilliant
scholastic achievements are dearly purchased at the expense of permanent
impairment of health.