Medical Examination of Schools and Scholars
Edited by T. N. Kelynack, M.D., with an introduction by Sir Lauder Brunton. London: P. S. King and Son, 1910. Pp. xvi. + 434.
This hook presents a resume of the progress made in the medical examination of school children in England. It contains outlines by specialists of high standing, describing the best methods for conducting the examinations, These are followed by a rather brief account of what has been done and what is actually being done in Great Britain and her important colonies, as well as in other European countries and the United States.
The present conditions in England are discussed, and the work now being accomplished in many different kinds of institutions, from Bugby Academy to the humblest of the “poor schools,” is described by persons intimately connected with these several establishments. This is naturally interesting to us, because it makes possible a comparison of the work being done here with that done in England, where great advances have undeniably been made. Eurthermore, the chapters which contain an account of the best methods for conducting medical examinations, as well as the special studies of the eyes, ears, nose and throat, mental condition, and mental defects, furnish valuable and practical assistance to all those who are actively engaged in such work.
The book reveals the fact that the United States and England have something to learn from each other. Eor instance, the examinations given children in the lower elementary public schools in the principal cities of England are infinitely more thorough than those generally given on this side of the water. In general, we are quite satisfied to give brief examinations of eyes, ears, nose and throat, whereas in England the children are stripped to the waist, making possible thorough tests of the heart and lungs, and other important observations. Another excellent point in the English school examinations is that the parents are urged to be present, not only on account of the aid they can give in making a proper diagnosis of each case, but also for the educational advantage to the parents themselves.
In the feeding of school children we have also much to learn, for in a large part of England this has been reduced to an almost automatic system. The actual income of any family decides whether the children of that family shall be given free luncheons or not, Moreover, in many of the elementary public schools, any child may obtain a really excellent meal for a penny or two.
It is in the private schools of the better class, and particularly in the universities that we find comparisons greatly in our favor, for in this country such institutions carry on examinations and corrective work to an extent evidently undreamed of in Great Britain. But in our elementary school examinations there is room for considerable improvement, and it is particularly along this line that Dr Kelynack’s book will prove of value to those directly interested in the subject. C. K T.
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