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Show I! STATE HEALTH DIRECTOR COMMENDS WORK DONE IN OGDEN CITY SCHOOLS; PROGRAM INCREASED FOR NEXT YEAR iSupt W. Karl Hopkins Is in receipt ; ot o a letter from E. G. Gowans, state' director of health education, congratulating congratu-lating the Qgdcn Cit' board of education educa-tion on tho splendid results that have' been achieved in the city school in the J matter of health education under the j supervision of Mrs. Sophie Weatherall' i Read, supervisor of physical education' I and health. ' Mr. Gowans states his opinion that' the next year of this enterprise will. . show even better results and that the i effort to prevent disease is at last be-;' coming known as better than anyj method of cure 1 An article entltted, "Tho Aristocracy, of the Physically Fit," which is being circulated at the present time widely throughout tho United States for the general information of teachers, par- njts and guardians of children, contains con-tains valuable information regarding health, the superintendent said. The article which first appeared in a New York bulletin, follows: Aristocracy of the Physically Fit Physically examinations of men for' the draft revealed conditions which astonished as-tonished many. Medical school inspection here and . elsewhere has informed sanitarians of j the verv generai condition of physical , unfitness. Of 20.000,0000 enrolled, 70 per cent manifested some physical de feet in other words, there are in this country 1-1,000,000 young persons who ?re commencing life with a handicap. 'Adults, and children, drift, through luck of Information or indifference, into habits -which result in conditions' pdversc .to health. Formerly it was the! method of both tho public and the physicians phy-sicians to consider disease as it oc- currcd. all energy bent towards secur-j ing a cure; few if any concerned them-i'".li'rn them-i'".li'rn t J 1 1 npAinn Inn I I selves wiui prevention. Shop Work. In shop work, when accidents occurred, oc-curred, it -was a question of how quickly, quick-ly, could the injured be removed for care, whereas the question of prevention preven-tion of accidents is an idea of comparatively compar-atively recent date and today i. in only itf elementary stages. The causes of diseases known toj science are not as yet generally ac-i cepted by all membors of the medical ! profession, therefore it -would lot bci expected that they would be known by tfie general public. . I Astonishing as it may seem, there are today those who consider all dis-' ease as a sort of divine visitation, or as the natural result or sin. It Is felt tljat systematic instruction-in proven l-1 ajive hygiene is most essential, as,: with many, disease is due to lnek of In- j formation regarding the ordinary -well-, understood precautions of personal hy-i giene and sanitation. J Examples of this are frequently observed ob-served in cases of adenoids, enlarged I tonsils, improper feeding, etc j There is "no doubt that adenoids tire j Incident to1 improper care of a child,' bj an uninformed parent. Physicians have frequently stated that adenoidal result from the use of the dummy teat.' lymphoid tissue and this hypertrophy! (adenoids) occasions nasal obstruc! ttlon, narrowing of the roof of Die! mouth nnd nasal passages, Intend--: Ience villi respiration, and msuificieni development of the chesL The natural result is a -weakly anaemic child, which constantly "catches cold." On this account the mother overdresses tho little one, and as it plays or runs about, often with difficulty, it becomes overheated and its physical development develop-ment is impaired. This improper practice constantly ly ascribed to tonsillar enlargement. Enlarged Tonsils. About ten per cent of school children child-ren have enlarged tonsils. It is probable prob-able that the poisoning which causes many diseases heart and system (rheumatism) is here centered. Children, often are improperly fed, with the result thaht nearly 70 per cent of school children have dental carles. When decay sets'in early, the teeth become septic, poisoning the breath and also the food eaten so that systematic infection is frequent. Decayed De-cayed teeth afford ready passage for disease germs into the system. Large numbers of children have tubercular 'glands, which, in the opinion of many, are incident to such foci, j In view of these facts, it is not surprising sur-prising that many school children and persons in after life are found in physically phy-sically unfit condittion. If theso two groups could receive the attention that' their physical condition demands would not industrial workers and mankind man-kind generally be directly benefited? This would require systematic physical physi-cal instruction, examinations and records rec-ords with follow-up work of a very ex-J tensive character. Much disease would be avoided and the saving in misery would be considerable. The investment invest-ment of the taxpayer would be returned re-turned with heavy interest. Personal health and public health can be improved by carefully repeated' physical examinations, properly di-, reeled. In addiltion provision must1 be made for bathing under sanitary conditions and, in children, extension of the already adopted plan of open air schools and careful physical in- slruction. These no doubt will solve many of the problems of diseases incident inci-dent lo school life. Preventive treatment must be built up slowly, cautiously but persistently. j Mother-craft should bo taught to all, bills and elementary physical, instruction instruc-tion commenced as early ns possible. ' For teachers and instructors. Hie principles prin-ciples of prevention must he made! plain and comprehensible and practical application made in all schools and colleges. Public authorities must be prepared to give advice and aid in instruction. in-struction. The application must be systematic and routine. Physical Defects. Children with physical defects must bo kept under observation the teeth kept sound, their bodies in condition by suitable open air exercises, and sustained sus-tained by proper and adequate nourishment. nour-ishment. Remedial measures should bo instituted at the earliest signs of departure from the normal. Similar conditions' must be applied to workers in tho industries. The cooperation co-operation of employer and employe should be secured because a physically physical-ly fit employe is an asset and a healthy man or woman is a productive Agent and not an impediment. It is useless to apply the principles of hygiene in one group or to follow out some principles and not apply this generally. This must be the rule among crouns and not the oxcention. Fresh Air Habit. The fresh air habit day and night must be taught and practiced. Cleanliness Clean-liness of body and environment- must be inculcated and practiced. On these or similar lines a new aristocracy the aristocracy of the physically fit , will be built up. The " whole nation every class must participate, and take pride in tills1 undertaking. Its effects will reach all. Children in our care, in our home or in our town, demand this much of us. and the least leturn we can make in behalf of our future citizens is to see that thoy have health as a foundation on which to build their ambitions. "Our boys" have been fighting "Over There." for liberty and democracy,! they have fought for us. 'they can de-1 ir.and this of us and nothing less. Ifl we are fighting for democracy lei us see to it that democracy i: mad? i-qual to Its responsibilities. I |
