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6
School Hygiene, of course, is the study of the principles of promoting the
health of children whilst at school. The first of all commandments is "Let there
be Light" and the first principle in school hygiene is that the classroom shall be
light, not only light enough to see by, but full of that light which is health giving.
We do not want this light filtered through glass, even good glass, so that
whenever practicable all the windows should be open.
The possibility of using special glass which does not filter off the health
giving rays should be entertained, but it must be remembered that a thin film of
dirt on this glass makes it just so opaque as ordinary glass. Moreover, it has been
found that where a place is not well lit it is rarely kept scrupulously clean, so that
a well lit classroom is not only beneficial directly, but indirectly.
The next general principle is that the classroom must be well ventilated and
the air must be moving within the classroom; stagnant air has been spoken of as
"dead" air. The ancients, in their days, recognised that it was essential to have
air moving and chose one and the same word for life and moving air.
To maintain movement of air naturally it may be found necessary to introduce
more air than is strictly necessary for the purpose of ventilation and, of course,
this air may be too cold to be comfortable; under these circumstances, and
provided a sufficient volume of air is introduced in any period of time, the necessary
movement can be artificially produced by adequate fans, electrically driven.
In this country, particularly in the winter, in addition to light and fresh air
we must of course provide warmth. It is impossible to say what is the ideal
temperature at which a classroom should be maintained because there are several
factors to be considered—to wit—the movement of the air—the degree of moisture
in the air—and we have to recognise that most of the children, for most of the time
in the classroom, will be sitting down. Subject to the reservations I have mentioned
above as to the movement and humidity of the air, temperatures of something
about 60° will be found to be desirable. How to maintain this temperature is a
question fraught with great difficulty; we have had all sorts of ideas, from floor
heating to ceiling heating; I thoroughly endorse that we must have some form of
general heating, but I still believe that nothing will take the place of focal point
heating, and that every classroom should have a fireplace which, of course, is one
of the best forms of ventilation.
The antiquated idea of putting school lavatories in some obscure corner of the
playground is to my mind quite out of date; the idea that, of necessity, they must
be smelly is wrong; nor is there any need to try to kill one smell with another;
a reasonable standard of cleanliness will be assured if a lavatory is properly designed
and there is no reason therefore why children should, in winter time, have to go
across rainswept playgrounds to frozen lavatories. I look forward to the time
when no water closet will be looked upon as suitable unless there is a hand basin
within, and I see no reason why the flush should not be foot operated.
These remarks about school hygiene are illustrative of the principles which
must be entertained in making our schools health giving centres of education.