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I mentioned above, except that badges are not issued, but the names of the members
are entered on a special card hung in each classroom.
"Similar inspections are carried out by the nurse, class mistress and head
mistress. Certificates of merit are given after one year's membership to the satisfactory
candidates. In addition to the small 'Health Laws' card which is given
in this and the other schools a larger card called 'Health Guide' is distributed. This
card deals in much greater detail with the ordinary principles of health and explains
the reasons why the 'Health Laws' should be obeyed. It deals with cleanliness,
necessity of fresh air, need of sunlight, exercise, rest, prevention of infection, proper
posture and general physical fitness of mind and body. Similar mottoes are observed
though in a different way. Instead of collecting tin foil, each member contributes to
a fund which is used to buy presents each Christmas for the children of the Belgrave
Hospital—'Help the sick.' Correspondence is also carried on with members in
Canada and America. Each member sent a personal gift to some individual member
in a school in Canada this Christmas and received a personal reply. In addition,
classes in health and hygiene, elementary nursing and first aid have been started,
and are progressing very satisfactorily. Infant welfare and infant feeding are laid
stress upon by the class mistress.
"The head mistress is delighted with the scheme and is of opinion that the
members show remarkable development, mentally and physically. In support
of this, she informed me that the school medical and dental inspections show a
marked physical improvement, and in addition the girls' department has obtained
the remarkable score of twenty-one scholarships at the last examination. She
says this is a record for her area. I was much impressed with the keenness which
the girls showed in carrying out all the requirements of the membership, and especially
with the willingness with which they subscribed towards helping the hospitals, and
also I think the introduction of the knowledge of healthy living and home nursing
will do a very great amount of good in the future. It will be a step towards the
removal of the ignorance of elementary infant welfare, which is, unfortunately,
only too apparent in some of the homes of to-day. This must, in its turn, lead to
a healthier and sturdier infancy in the future generations and avoidance of many
of the complaints due to wrong, or failure to provide, treatment, with the inevitable
result of an uplifting of the national health."
Dr. Ingham's
report on
Webb-street
school (Boys)
"On 19th January I visited the boys' department of Webb Street school in
order to get a personal insight into the methods of hygiene teaching adopted by
the head master. The head master himself is keenly interested in the subject of
'School hygiene,' and personally directs his method of instruction. His line of
attack on this subject does not so much follow in the way of teaching hygiene, but
rather in encouraging the ordinary simple rules of health and cleanliness, inspecting
the boys frequently and regularly, and seeing that these rules are properly carried
out. For the sum of 5s. per annum the school is affiliated to the Junior Red Cross
Society, and the boys are expected to follow all the rules suggested by this body.
As each new boy is admitted to the department he is presented with a 'Health
Laws' card supplied by the Society, and told that he is expected to follow the
instructions thereon, in addition to keeping his personal hygiene in satisfactory
condition. In addition to this a decorated card, much the same as a 'Roll of
Honour,' is hung in every classroom, and as each boy qualifies his name is added
to the roll.
"When the scheme first started small tin badges were issued to each boy as
soon as his personal hygiene reached the required standard, but as the badges had
to be purchased at the cost of 2d., and as numerous cases of 'lost, stolen or strayed'
occurred, the novelty soon wore off and the demand became so small that the badges
were dropped and the decorated roll substituted. In the near future the head
master hopes to appoint a 'hygiene prefect' for each class. This prefect will be