THE PHYSICAL CARE OF YOUNG CHILDREN[15]
“The care and improvement of the child’s health is of paramount
importance. A sound and efficient body is his initial stock in
trade for winning the rewards of life.”
—LIFE EXTENSION INSTITUTE.
“Instruction can wait, but the demands of health are imperative.”
—WILLIAM H. BURNHAM.
“If only the intentions of nature were respected during the period
of growth and development, the problem (of ill health) would by no
means be so serious.”
—LEWIS M. TERMAN.
“The sound body and vigorous health are the foundation without
which the higher qualities of mind and heart develop precariously
or feebly, or fail to realize their possibilities. The basis of
education is and must be physical.”
—J. M. TYLER.
=The Foundations of Efficiency.= It is the business of the home to
develop in children such vitality that they will enjoy exuberant
health in childhood, acquire habits of good hygiene, lay the
foundation for endurance, beauty, and longevity in manhood and
womanhood, and bequeath vigor of constitution to their children. The
slogan is “Prevention—Vitality—Efficiency.”
For efficiency the organs must be approximately perfect, and their
functioning sure and strong.
The ultimate physical sources of power are:
1. Good nutrition and sound digestion
2. Sound, active lungs
3. Vigorous kidneys
4. Strong heart
5. Steady nervous system
That is, there must be ample intake of food and oxygen, thorough
removal of waste, quick distribution of fuel, oxygen, and waste,
economical working of the organism. The whole body must be
organically sound, and all its functions must go on efficiently and
vigorously.
=Developing Vitality to Resist Disease.= Disease may be due to:
a. Some defect of structure in an organ as the heart, spinal
column, eye, tooth
b. Ineffective functioning of an organ or system, as in
constipation, slow circulation, shallow breathing
c. Low resistance to disease germs or poisons, as in the
contracting of influenza, diarrhea, pneumonia, whooping cough
The Means for Developing Vitality.
1. Good nutrition. This involves sound digestion and assimilation. It
can be assured only through:
a. Wholesome foods, adapted to the age in quantity and preparation
b. Sound teeth
c. Regularity in feeding
d. Right conditions in feeding
Eating slowly
Chewing well
Avoiding severe exercise within an hour after feeding
Eating not less than 1 to 3 hours before bedtime
Eating in a cheerful frame of mind
Food at approximately body temperature
2. Thorough elimination of waste.
a. Through the lungs by oxidization. Deep and adequate breathing
accomplishes the two ends of eliminating some of the poisonous
waste (as carbon dioxide from the lungs) and bringing quantities
of oxygen to the internal cells for burning up of waste. Active
physical exercise and the habit of deep breathing are both
necessary.
b. Through kidneys and intestines. These are Nature’s plumbing
system for removing poisonous waste. Regularity in these functions
should become a habit in early childhood. There should be a bowel
movement once or twice a day. Abundance of laxative foods in the
diet, water between meals, outdoor life and activity, are natural
means of regulating these functions.
3. Regulation of bodily heat. Colds and chills pave the way for
vital disorders. They are not always symptoms of an infection. They
are often due to poor training of the nerves in the skin to respond
quickly to changes of temperature. The training of these nerves can
come only as that of any other nerves—through their exercise. Indoor
and sedentary life does not supply sufficient exercise for them; for
this exercise there is required:
a. A low slightly variable temperature, 65°-68° F. indoor
b. Perceptible air current
c. Air baths, sun baths, and cold-water baths administered with
judgment
4. Good circulation of blood. The blood is the only avenue by which
nourishment can be brought to the cells or their poisonous waste
removed. So far as it can be directly controlled, circulation may
be quickened by abundance of exercise, cool temperature, wise
distribution of porous clothing. The child should be taught how to
quickly warm hands or feet by special exercise, rolling or shaking
of hands, stretching the arms and forcefully opening and shutting the
hands, slowly rising and sinking on the feet, running, alternately
stretching the toes and heels, rubbing the feet.
5. Protection of nose, throat, and chest. Nature has provided the
nose with a delicate mucous lining that constantly secretes a fluid
which has the power to destroy germs that may enter with the air. If
this moist mucous lining becomes dry, it cannot function. It will
not become dry unless the indoor air is too dry, as is the case in
artificially heated rooms unless additional moisture is supplied by
open dishes of water and by constant intake of outer air. The throat
likewise suffers in a dry atmosphere.
Bundling the throat and chest keeps the skin moist and makes it
more susceptible to congestion; they should be made resistant to
congestion by deep breathing and daily cold sponging. Adenoids and
enlarged tonsils are abnormal growths of lymphatic tissue in the
nose and throat that make breathing difficult and inefficient, and
that become breeding places for germs. The infection that they
harbor leads frequently to colds, earache, deafness, tonsillitis,
diphtheria, measles, scarlet fever. They obstruct the breathing and
reduce the supply of oxygen, spoil the shape of the face, reduce
the ability to think, and by their discomfort produce irritability
and nervousness. They greatly interfere with the vitality. Adenoids
should therefore be removed, and tonsils treated, their removal being
a last resort when they are diseased.
6. Maintaining high count and efficiency of red blood corpuscles
and of leucocytes in the blood. The red blood corpuscles carry
oxygen. Evident symptoms of their inefficiency are paleness, low
vitality, inertia. The leucocytes are the special blood cells that
attack disease germs which have made their way past the sentinels in
the nose, throat, and stomach. The number and efficiency of these
bodyguards is increased by outdoor exercise, cold-water baths, air
baths, sun baths, by adding more mineral food to the diet.
Additional means of preventing development of germ diseases are: (a)
protection from contagion; (b) injecting of antitoxins. The greatest
preventive, however, is internal resistance, since disease germs
are usually in the atmosphere and are entering the system every day
through the nose and mouth.
7. Storing of nervous energy. This is possible only through abundant
sleep, regularity of regimen, temperance, moderation, self-control,
avoidance of stimulants, narcotics, or dissipation. Nature has
intended that childhood shall be a period of accumulating and
conserving nervous reserve.
The effect of any regimen or any exception to a principle of good
hygiene must be measured not simply by its immediate results but even
more by its remote consequences. Nature is patient, long suffering,
and will endure much abuse without great protest, but Nature is also
an accurate bookkeeper and remorseless creditor; every debt must
at some time be paid on demand,—it may be five, ten, forty years
later, or in the lives of the succeeding generation. Nature makes no
allowance for ignorance of her laws. Parental love cannot atone for
lack of knowledge or experience. The death-rate from tuberculosis
rises considerably among girls in their twenties. To what extent is
this due to general poor hygiene, indoor life, lack of exercise, in
childhood? During the last quarter century there has been a marked
increase in the death-rate during middle age from kidney disorders,
cancer, heart disease, insanity. It may well be asked to what extent
these are due to habits of irregularity, overfeeding, wrong feeding,
self-indulgence, nervousness, acquired in childhood.
Children’s Typical Physical Regimen
1 TO 2 YEARS | 2 TO 9 YEARS | AFTER 9 YEARS
6: A.M. | 6:30-7 A.M. |
| |
Toilet | Wakens | (Same as 2-9
Milk | Stretching for circulation and | years.)
Some children at | gradual increase of heart |
this age will remain | action |
quietly in | Put on bathrobe and slippers, |
bed for an | if cool |
hour after taking | Open bed to air |
milk, when | Taken to toilet |
the schedule | Teeth brushed; mouth rinsed |
for children 2-9 | Drink of water |
for rising and | Vigorous exercise or play 2-5 |
bathing may | minutes |
be followed. | Fruit juice |
Others are | Face and hands washed, cool |
ready to be up, | water |
and these may | Rubbing of entire body, 2-4 |
have a cool | minutes |
sponge to chest | (Rub from extremities toward |
and back, with | heart) |
bath at midday | Bath as prescribed, 2-4 minutes |
or evening. | Dressing: 5-15 minutes |
| (After three years, child |
| should dress himself) |
| Bed, room, night clothes opened |
| to air |
| Children who have not slept |
| outdoors should get out for |
| 5-20 minutes vigorous play |
| before breakfast |
| 7:30-8:00 |
Fruit juice; toilet | Breakfast | (Same as 2-9
Outdoors or play | Toilet (time for regular bowel | years.)
in open-air room | movement) |
| Hands washed |
| Teeth brushed |
| Bed made, bedroom put in order |
| Outdoors by 9 A.M. (earlier in | Outdoors
| summer) | ½-1 hour
| If inclement weather put on | before
| outdoor wraps; open windows | school
| in room for open-air play | Open-air
| | school
| |
| 10:00 A.M. |
Toilet | Glass of water | Water
Mid-morning | |
meal | |
| 10:30 |
Teeth brushed | Fruit |
Toilet | Toilet |
Outdoors | |
| 11:30 |
Undressed; drink | Hands washed, finger nails |
| cleaned; preparation for |
| dinner |
| 12:00 |
Bath; toilet; nap | Dinner | Dinner
| 12:40 P.M. |
| Toilet | Outdoors
| Hands washed | ½-1 hour
| Undressed for bed; remove shoes,|
| stockings, dress, waist, |
| trousers |
| 1:30 | In open-air
Toilet; dressed | | school 1-3
| | hours
| 2:00 |
Dinner | Toilet; dressed; bed made |
| 2:30 |
Toilet | Glass of water |
Outdoors | Outdoors, or open-air play | Outdoors 2-4
| indoors | hours
| |
| 4:30 |
Drink water | Indoors; toilet, glass of water |
| Hands washed, finger nails |
| cleaned |
| (Warm bath 2 or 3 times week; |
| cool sponge in summer) |
| 5:00 |
Indoors; toilet | Supper |
| 5:30 |
Supper | Undressed; teeth brushed |
| Face, neck, ears, feet washed |
| 6:00 |
Undressed; teeth; | In bed (6 to 9 years at 7:00) | Supper
toilet; in bed | |
| 10:00 |
Toilet | Toilet (until 6 years) |
=Sleep.= _Quantity._ All the sleep a child can get is so much of
fortification against the inevitable stress of later years, as well
as conducive to his immediate vitality, comfort, and good nature.
Children vary individually; often, however, the nervous child who
needs most sleep is least willing to take it. Children should sleep
as much as they want to and should approximate the following amounts
as a minimum.
Approximate Average Requirements[16]
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
————————————+————————————+———————————————————————
AGE | HOURS OF | TIME IN BED
| SLEEP |
————————————+————————————+———————————————————————
12 months | 15 | 6.00 P.M.-6.00 A.M.
| | midday nap 2-3 hours
1-4 years | 14 | 6.00 P.M.-6.00 A.M.
| | midday nap 1-2 hours
4-6 ” | 13 | 6.00 P.M.-6.00 A.M.
| | 1 hour midday rest
6-8 ” | 12 | 7.00 P.M.-7.00 A.M.
| | 1 hour midday rest
8-10 ” | 11½ | 7.30 P.M.-7.00 A.M.
10-12 ” | 11 | 8.00 P.M.-7.00 A.M.
12-14 ” | 10½ | 8.30 P.M.-7.00 A.M.
14-16 ” | 10 | 9.00 P.M.-7.00 A.M.
16-18 ” | 9½ | 9.30 P.M.-7.00 A.M.
————————————+————————————+———————————————————————
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
_Conditions._ 1. Bed alone. No one can sleep as comfortably or
restfully with another person as alone. With little children, moral
as well as physiological possibilities are to be considered.
2. Room alone, if possible, especially for children under six, that
they may not be disturbed.
3. Outdoors if possible, on a sleeping porch, with bedding protected
from dampness, and provision made for first warming the bed at night
in cold weather.
4. Room cool and with current of outside air, if sleeping indoors.
Temperature not above 60° F. and may be as low as 50° F. to advantage
for normal children over six months, or 32° F. without harm, with
ample bedding and warm night clothes. Warm wrapper or shawl should be
provided to wrap around the child when taken out of bed.
5. Children beyond infancy (1½ years) should have their supper an
hour before bedtime until eight or nine years of age, and thereafter
two hours before bedtime. Children should be taken up for the toilet
at a regular hour, either nine or ten o’clock, until six or eight
years of age, to prevent bed-wetting or disturbed sleep.
6. Every condition should be provided for complete relaxation and
sound sleep, not light semi-sleep. Among these conditions, besides
the foregoing, are:
Lights extinguished in sleeping room;
Stationary bed that does not rock;
Story-telling before child is undressed, not after he is in bed, that
the mind may not be filled with vivid images, or brain congested,
when trying to sleep.
Evening stories should be quiet, restful, happy, without gruesome,
melodramatic, exciting, or sad atmosphere.
Chanting, humming, rhythmic singing, is relaxing, and five or ten
minutes of this after child is in bed may be advantageous, especially
with nervous or unruly children.
Massaging down the back, in long slow strokes, Will relieve the
congestion of the brain.
Give the child one toy to occupy his hands; prohibit more than one,
to prevent mental activity.
Bedtime should not be a time of punishment, recalling of misdeeds,
scolding; leave that until the child is most vital, in mid-morning
or afternoon. Bedtime should be a quiet, happy time.
A thought impressed upon the child as he is falling to sleep, or
directly after, especially if it is repeated for some days or weeks,
is absorbed by the subconscious mind and has profound influence
upon motives and action. The suggestion may be given aloud to the
conscious mind while the child is still awake, or repeated softly or
thought intensively, after the conscious mind is dulled by sleepiness.
The child should learn, from early babyhood, to go to sleep by
himself, without a light, with the door closed. This is a most
important training in self-reliance.
If these conditions are observed, sleep should be restful and
undisturbed. Possible disturbing conditions may include constipation,
indigestion, intestinal worms, nervousness. The matter should be
reported to the physician. Bed-wetting may be overcome by taking the
child up during the night, by giving no liquid after four o’clock, by
promise of rewards, by mental suggestion. Circumcision may be needed.
Punishment is worse than useless.
_The Afternoon Nap._ The same general conditions should be provided.
The room or sleeping porch should be darkened, and ample ventilation
and light covering provided. The outer clothing, shoes, stockings
should be removed, and nightgown put on over the underwear; or
the child may be completely undressed as at night. If the child
is disinclined to sleep at nap time, use the spinal sponging with
warm water, the spinal massage, and undress completely as at night.
Even if the child does not sleep, he will receive the much-needed
relaxation, and the resting of spine and heart, the work of which is
greatly reduced while lying down.
_Waking._ The waking time should always be anticipated, and some one
should be at hand to take the child at once to the toilet, to speak
to him and reassure him. This is important both for physical and
moral reasons. Waking should be a happy time.
=Clothing.= Clothing should be comfortable to body and mind; it
should provide freedom of action and thought, cultivate modesty,
simplicity, democracy, daintiness, avoiding self-consciousness or
vanity.
Too much clothing keeps the skin moist, and is a cause of colds.
Distribute clothing judiciously; avoid overclothing trunk and chest,
underclothing legs.
_Underclothing._ Use light-weight underwear and give additional
warmth by extra wraps as needed. Adapt clothing to the actual weather
conditions, not to traditions of seasons. Avoid sudden changes, as
from heavy play suit to thin suit.
Underclothing may be all cotton or part wool.
Porous clothing is warm, holding a protecting layer of air; thick
woven clothing is cold, preventing the evaporation of moisture from
the skin. For hot weather use sleeveless or half-sleeve gauze vests.
Use side elastics to support the stockings, never the round garters.
Select carefully the waist for attaching supporters; the “Ideal”
waist is excellent.
Protect the ankles and legs with stockings or leggings in cold or
changeable weather.
Keep the throat open, except in very cold weather, and then protect
lightly.
Shoes and stockings should keep the feet warm and comfortable, not
perspiring, cold, restricted.
_Night clothes._ A complete change should be made at night. After
three years a shirt is not needed at night, except in very cold
weather. When diapers are no longer needed, the nightdrawers may be
worn, using those with feet for cold weather. For outdoor sleeping in
cool weather a sleeping-bag of eiderdown is desirable, and a light
hood. A flannel or eiderdown bathrobe and slippers should be provided
for emergency and morning use.
_Care._ Begin to teach the child at one year to put his shoes neatly
together; by two years to lay his clothes neatly when taken off, and
to hang up wraps; by three years to fold; by four years to take care
of all clothing as removed and keep his chiffonier in order. Provide
low hooks and small, low, easy-working bureau drawers within reach of
the child.
Keep soiled clothing in a ventilated receptacle, out of the sleeping
room or kitchen.
Keep hats and wraps well brushed; shoes brushed and cleaned; after
five years, children should care for shoes.
Readymade clothing should be washed before wearing. Much readymade
clothing, whether cheap or expensive, is made in sweatshops and
crowded tenements.
Children’s play clothes should be of such durable material and simple
design that play may not be hampered through fear of soiling or
injuring garments.
Avoid:
Underwear: Thick woven
Heavy cotton fleece-lined
All or three-quarters wool (unless open weave
and soft)
Rough seams
Corsets
Stockings: Thick, heavy
All wool
Seams; much darned
Round garters
Tight hose supporters
Shoes: Patent leather or other non-porous material
Rough inside seams and soles
Tight across toes, instep, or ankle
Stiff, inflexible soles
Rubber soles unless with leather insoles
Too large or too small
High heels
Non-washable dresses or wraps for children under three years
Elaborate, showy clothes
Unbecoming clothes
Wraps: Fur or other heavy neck pieces
Mufflers, except in very cold weather, and
for children under five
Gloves in winter. (Mittens give better circulation)
Rubbers or overshoes, except in rain or slippery
weather
Ear muffs
Veils
Unventilated hats
Tight Clothing: Gloves, neckbands, waists, underwear, stockings,
shoes
Ample size is especially important with growing children, and easily
overlooked or neglected as they outgrow their clothes. Rubber in legs
of readymade rompers is always too tight, and is better removed.
=Bathing.= Each child should have his own wash cloths and towels.
Have a separate wash cloth and towel for the face, another cloth and
Turkish towel for the body. Dry and sun wash cloths every day; boil
them weekly.
Temperature of bathroom about 70° F. (65-70), with no drafts. Before
the child is undressed, have everything ready, including the clothing
to be put on.
Water and soap are irritating to eczema; use oil or, occasionally,
water bath with bran.
_The Cold Bath._ The daily cold bath is of vital importance in
training the skin to react quickly to temperatures, increasing the
circulation, increasing the white blood corpuscles, and maintaining
a high degree of vitality and resistance to illness, especially to
colds, croup, coughs, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.
By careful attention to details, the cold bath can be given with
a minimum of shock, and children enjoy it. It should be made as
enjoyable as possible, and persisted in, even under protest. It
should not be given, however, in a cold room. If the child has a
cold, or the skin is cold and clammy, it should be given only to the
throat, chest, and back. If the child is in a low vital condition, or
does not react well otherwise, it may be preceded by a quick hot bath
(98°-100°F.) to furnish body heat. The mildest form is to give it
while the child lies in bed, quickly bathing and drying one part at
a time. Ordinarily it can be given as follows, the whole procedure,
including rubbing, not taking more than five minutes.
Let the child jump, run, or exercise vigorously for a few minutes
before beginning the bath. Remove clothing and give a vigorous
allover rub with hands or Turkish towels, rubbing from extremities
toward the heart; let the child help in this and do it himself after
four years. The child may stand with his feet in lukewarm water, or
on a bath mat, not on a cold surface.
Temperature of the water should be at least down to 70° F. and as
much lower as the child can take and react well. Salt (1 tablespoon
to quart of water) gives a better reaction and lower range. Tepid
water gives no tonic and may leave a chilly reaction. Have the wash
cloth wet but not dripping. Wash quickly in the following order: (1)
hand, arms; (2) neck, chest; (3) back, beginning at lower end; (4)
legs, beginning with soles of feet; (5) abdomen. In this way the
reflexes are bathed first, and the feeling of shock reduced, but
the same valuable tonic results obtained. Dry quickly, rubbing with
Turkish towels and hands. In cold weather, or if the skin is very
dry, rub in quickly a little cocoa butter, olive oil, or cold cream.
A spray with weak force, or pouring from a cup may begin in the
second year; a strong spray or shower not until the fifth year.
_The Warm Bath._ For cleansing, the warm bath is needed two or
three times a week in winter, and every day in hot weather. The
body surface is relatively greater in children than in adults, and
because of their greater activity and more rapid circulation, a
relatively greater quantity of perspiration and waste material is
constantly being poured out upon the skin. If this is not removed, it
clogs the pores and thus keeps poisons within the body and prevents
the normal absorption of oxygen through the skin.
The warm bath is best given at night, as a tub bath, before the
supper, or an hour afterwards. When the bath is not given, the neck,
ears, armpits, hands, and feet should be well washed. The water
temperature should be 96°-98° F. A mild oil soap should be used
moderately, such as Castile or Palmolive. The bath should be given
in three minutes. Let the children splash in the tub for another
three minutes, trying to swim. Always follow with the cold water to
close the pores and prevent colds. This may be poured into the tub,
to reduce the temperature to about 70°, or poured from a pitcher, or
given with a spray, at 70°-80°, or given as a quick sponge at that
temperature. Dry quickly and thoroughly, putting on a wrap to avoid
chilling. If the child sleeps outdoors, the bath should be given an
hour before bedtime in cool weather, or the oil rub may be given
instead of water bath.
In hot weather children may have three or four sponge baths at
70°-80° during the day, or five-minute splashes in the tub at due
intervals after meals.
The daily air bath is as much needed as the water, and should be
given, with exercise and rubbing, if the water bath cannot be taken
at the regular time. It is a tonic for the skin and gives the
exercise to the nerves that cultivates resistance against colds.
_Sun Baths._ Sun baths, judiciously given, are also of great
vitalizing value. In warm weather (70°-90° F.) children should be
allowed to play outdoors with minimum of clothing, as sandals, white
rompers or bathing trunks, and a light sun hat, for several hours
a day, avoiding exposure of too hot sun (over 80°). Children not
accustomed to this must begin gradually and may have a preliminary
oil rub, to prevent either chill or sunburn. In cool weather, this
may be given in the house, although the benefits are not so great, as
the most effective (the violet) rays do not penetrate through glass.
White or light colored clothing permits the penetration of light rays
to the skin, and dark clothing prevents this; the former, therefore,
is of greater vitalizing value. The sun and light baths are of great
therapeutic value with nervous or anemic children. The tanning of the
skin gives remarkable resistance.
The development of resistance through judicious use of baths and
light, combined with deep breathing, would greatly reduce the
mortality from colds, pneumonia, tuberculosis, which are the chief
causes of death after infancy.
=The Hands.= Cleanliness of the hands is highly important both for
sanitary and moral reasons. Therefore teach the child from babyhood,
by example and precept, to always wash the hands:
1. Before touching food, either for eating, serving, or
preparation, as a safeguard against infection
2. After eating, to prevent soiling of clothes, furniture, toys
3. After going to the toilet
4. Before going to bed
5. Before touching the eyes
The finger nails should be cleaned with an orange stick once a day,
and before meals whenever dirty. To prevent hangnails, press the
cuticle back around the nail every day. Trim finger nails round. A
soft hand brush and Hand Sapolio, almond meal, or corn meal may be
necessary for very dirty hands. Always dry thoroughly to prevent
chapping, and in cold weather apply a lotion.
=The Feet.= Wash the feet every night when a bath is not given. Dry
thoroughly between the toes. Perspiration is acid and soon causes
soreness if it remains. Once a week trim the nails, cutting straight.
If the feet are cold, put in cold (75°-80°F.) or hot (96°) water for
three minutes, apply a 25 per cent. solution of alcohol, rubbing dry.
If cold from exposure, always use the cold water. Chronically cold
feet indicate wrong shoes, poor general circulation, or need of more
exercise for feet. Corns, callouses, bunions, or misshapen toes can
be prevented by using shoes that are comfortable and adapted to the
shape of the foot.
The strength of the arch should be increased by foot exercises:
(1) Rising slowly on the toes and slowly descending, keeping the
weight of the body on the soles; (2) Alternately stretching the toes
and the heel; (3) Massaging the ankles. Braces in the shoe prevent
development of ankle muscles. Braces and arch supporters should be
worn only on the advice and prescription of a physician, if possible,
an orthopedic specialist. Much harm may be done by their wrong use.
=Care of the Hair.= During the second year the head should be washed
two or three times a week, or oftener if scurf appears. Use Castile
or Palmolive soap and rinse thoroughly to remove all soap and prevent
formation of scurf. If a crust appears, gently rub in fresh lard,
olive oil, or liquid vaseline at night, and wash off in morning;
never use a comb or harsh rubbing to remove. During the third and
fourth year shampoo weekly, and thereafter every two or three weeks.
The shampoo should be given in the daytime, when there is ample time
and means for drying quickly and thoroughly, preferably in the sun.
The scalp should be massaged five or ten minutes every day, through
childhood, to promote good circulation in the scalp and keep it loose
and clean, and the hair brushed thoroughly to remove dust. This
is Nature’s own tonic, and more effective than any bought at the
drugstore. If the hair is thin, olive or cocoanut oil or vaseline
rubbed into the scalp will stimulate new growth. Going without a hat
(except, of course, in cold weather or hot sun) is beneficial for
the hair. The hairbrush should be soft, and brush and comb should be
cleaned every week. Tangles should be patiently and gently brushed
out; braiding will prevent them.
Curly or straight hair is hereditary, and curls can be only
temporarily produced in naturally straight hair. Heated irons,
metal curlers, tightly rolled curlers, dampening the hair, are all
injurious. For curling, only soft rags, or kid, on which the hair is
loosely rolled, should be used, and these not applied at night around
the head, to interfere with comfort in sleep.
When hair is trimmed, it should not be shaved off close at the base
of the head, as is sometimes the fashion, leaving this most sensitive
part of the head and neck suddenly and unduly exposed.
If the eyelashes or eyebrows are short, stubby, rough, light, they
may be improved and darkened by daily application of vaseline, and
brushing with a soft, narrow toothbrush. Such attention adds greatly
to the beauty and expressiveness of the face, and will be a cause of
much gratitude in later years.
=Nose.= The nose should be kept clean. For children under four, it
should be cleaned every morning with the liquid vaseline or warm
water, using a sterile piece of twisted gauze which is immediately
wrapped in paper and disposed of. Repeat at night and during the day,
if the nose is not clean. At three years, children should be able to
blow the nose, and this should be a regular part of toilet-making
both morning and evening.
In blowing the nose, one side should be held closed, while the other
side is blown. To blow both sides at once produces pressure in the
ears that may cause injury. Nasal douches are to be avoided except
in illness and by the physician’s orders.
Avoid (1) dusty air, as in the city streets, or in a room that is
being cleaned; (2) overdry air, as in artificially heated rooms.
Both of these are thought to promote adenoids. The former contains
many disease germs. The latter drys the mucous membrane, preventing,
therefore, its work of germ destruction, and producing uncomfortable,
cracked membrane.
=Throat.= The throat is strengthened by the daily cold bathing of
neck and chest. A child can learn to gargle at three or four years,
and is then able to do it easily if soreness develops.
=Ears.= Wash the ears every day with warm water, making sure that
no dirt remains in creases or behind the lobes. If wax accumulates,
remove it with the twisted end of the wash cloth or gauze. Never put
sharp instruments of any kind in the ear.
The lining of the inner ear is a continuation of the lining of the
nose and throat. If the latter becomes infected, as with a cold,
directly or from enlarged tonsils or adenoids, the infection is
likely to continue into the ears, causing running ears, which may
result in deafness.
The ears should not be made sensitive by cotton stuffing or ear
muffs. In very cold weather, little children should wear a hood, and
older children may do so with temperature below 40° F.
Never pull the ear lobe nor strike a child on the head; it may cause
deafness. Teach children that blowing or shouting into the ear may
produce deafness.
=Teeth.= After the first six teeth are cut, during the first year,
it is advisable to have a small, soft brush to use with water, plain
or with boric acid or bicarbonate of soda, after each feeding. This
never should be neglected after eighteen months. Doctor Truby King
advises giving the child a raw apple, a third of which has been
peeled, and which is partially bruised until softened, following
the midday feeding, after one year of age; munching this for ten
minutes is a natural and effective method of cleaning the teeth.
By four years of age, the child should be able to brush his teeth
himself. Salt, bicarbonate of soda, or milk of magnesia are effective
dentrifices. Patent pastes, powders, and liquids are expensive and
of no more efficacy than the foregoing, their chief value probably
consisting in the incentive they give to the use of the brush.
In brushing, the motion should be up and down, and rotary, as well as
across the teeth; the inner and upper as well as the outer surfaces
and the gums should be brushed. To safeguard against infection, teeth
should not be cleaned over the hand basin, but into a receptacle for
waste water.
Clean teeth will not decay. If the first teeth are allowed to decay,
the second will not be sound. The rudiments of both sets of teeth
are formed in the jaw before birth. The first teeth (20) are cut by
thirty months; the first permanent teeth are the six-year molars; the
second set are cut from six to twelve years of age. The enamel of
the teeth is formed once for all during childhood. The substance of
the teeth is mineral, chiefly lime. It will therefore be appreciated
that the child needs abundance of mineral in order that he may have
sound tooth material. This he can get only from mineral in his food
(see page 169), or, before his birth, from his mother’s diet. Good
circulation in the jaws is also essential for normal development both
for teeth and jaws, therefore the importance of some hard food every
day after ten months.
The toothbrush should be selected with care. A good toothbrush is
made with separate tufts, and with holes along the back, that it
may more easily be kept clean. For children under three years it
should be soft, for older children medium. The care of the brush
is as important as its use. An unclean toothbrush may be a source
of infection. It may be kept antiseptic by being very thoroughly
rinsed, preferably under running water, then in borax water, or grain
alcohol, and placed across hooks or a glass, bristle face down, to
dry, after each using. Once or twice a week it should be thoroughly
disinfected by drying in the sun, boiling in borax solution, or
soaking in alcohol. It should receive thorough disinfection after
each using, in case of influenza, tuberculosis, diphtheria, or other
infectious disease.
_Dental Examination._ After one year of age the child should have a
dental examination and tartar removed every six months. Any cavities
should be filled, and irregular teeth straightened. A decaying tooth
is a breeding place of germs which are carried, with the poisons
they produce, to the stomach and thence through the system. Its
sensitiveness compels the child to do his chewing entirely on the
other side, spoiling the symmetry of the jaws, or to omit proper
chewing. It causes pain that lowers the tone of the whole nervous
system, produces irritable temper, and interferes with mental work.
At the slightest complaint of discomfort or the merest suspicion of
decay, the child should go to the dentist for attention. Prevention
saves both pain and expense. The dentist’s office should be a place
of comfort, not of torture by reason of neglect and decay.
=The Eyes.= The eyes of mankind were called upon chiefly for
long-distance seeing, observation of operations with coarse
materials, and slow adjustment, until the past few hundred years of
civilization with its printing, sewing, and other fine close work.
The anatomy of the eye has not yet become adapted to these new
demands.
The child’s eye is not fully developed. The shape of the eyeball is
undergoing change during the first twenty years. Farsightedness is
normal until from nine to twelve years of age.
Eyestrain will result, therefore, if the eyes are called upon
for fine, close work during the first ten years. There is also a
hereditary form of nearsight that can be detected as early as six
years by the oculist, and that demands special care. Astigmatism (a
structural defect causing blurred vision) is a prevalent cause of
eyestrain. Squint and cross-eye, which are due to structural defect,
require treatment in early childhood or babyhood to prevent the
necessity of an operation, or possible blindness.
Even normal eyes will suffer if their use is abused. The following
precautions should be observed with little children and taught to
school children, as practices to be avoided for the sake of strong
eyes:
Rubbing the eyes
Staring at a strong light
Watching a flickering light (as in moving pictures)
Sudden flash of strong light
Looking at pictures, reading, writing, drawing, or doing handwork,
in poor light
Use of artificial light, for children under seven or eight years of
age, for drawing, painting, reading, looking at pictures, or other
fine work
Long application to close work at any age
Use of eyes for reading, pictures, or other fine work before
breakfast
The child can be taught from babyhood to sit so that the light falls
from the left upon his pictures or drawing, and not to sit either
directly facing the window or with his back squarely against it.
Reading for five minutes requires more than a thousand separate
movements of the eye,—as much work as is required of it in an hour
of ordinary use; and the ciliary muscle, which controls the eye
accommodation, probably is required in that five minutes to do as
much work as in a day of ordinary seeing.
This has an important bearing upon the question of how early a child
should begin reading, writing, sewing, or fine handwork; certainly,
from the standpoint of hygiene, such work should be deferred until at
least seven or eight years, and then begun only with the assurance of
the oculist that the eyes can stand the strain.
School children should be taught to read with the best conditions,
viz.:
Light from the left
Strong steady light
Light placed so it does not shine directly into the eyes and face
Not using the eyes before breakfast, as adjustment is slower and
more difficult on first rising
Not reading on trains or other vehicles
Resting the eyes every fifteen or twenty minutes by looking up from
the book at some distant object
Lamplight is easiest. Lights should always have a plain shade.
Indirect lighting is best. Gaslight should have a Welsbach to give
steady rays. White light is hard on the eyes; amber light, produced
by amber shades, is easiest.
In selecting books for children, look for the following requirements:
Paper white or cream, without gloss
Lines short, preferably three inches
Margins wide
Print large
Wide spacing between lines
Certain contagious diseases of the eyes temporarily or permanently
impair vision. At any sudden redness or white discharge, the child
should be immediately taken to the physician, as blindness may
follow in a few hours after infection, although it is preventable
by a simple immediate treatment. Children should be warned never to
use public towels or wash basins, or to touch the eyes with soiled
handkerchief or dirty hands.
The eyes should be washed daily with the boric acid solution until
three or four years of age, and after that with the plain or slightly
salt water, using the boric acid whenever irritation or redness
appears.
=Motor Training and Poise.= Provide some play apparatus that requires
motor coördination.
12 months to 3 years. A stile, of one or two low steps, adjusted to
the baby’s size, with handrail each side, on which he can climb up
and down. Tenpins, large size ringtoss.
Use a small enamel cup for drinking, and let the child, when feeding,
use his spoon and cup himself as early as he shows an inclination,
which should be not later than a year and a half. Do not scold when
he spills things while learning. By three years he should have
control, and be held to strict carefulness and neatness in eating.
3 to 6 years. Jumping place, with elevation 1 to 2 feet from which to
jump toward a marked space. Teach the child how to jump correctly,
landing on the soles of the feet and bending the knees as he lands.
Car rail or substitute to walk along, preferably raised 1 to 6 inches
from the ground. A single painted board 4 inches wide, or a painted
mark 2 inches wide will answer.
Ringtoss more difficult
Throwing at a mark on the ground, floor, or wall
The fence for walking sidewise or for swinging from, as used by
Montessori
Swinging rings and a horizontal bar
Marching, skipping, folk-dancing
[Illustration:
Bad Posture. Good Posture. Bad Posture.
Bad Posture. Good Posture.
American Posture League Chair and Bookrest.
Courtesy of American Posture League.
]
From three years, let him carry his tray at meal time, with dishes
and food.
Teach the child how to gain poise when he begins to feel worried,
cross, nervous, excited:
a. Relaxing completely, sitting down if necessary
b. Taking long, slow, deep breaths
c. Sitting quietly for a few minutes to think,—with eyes shut, if
thinking is thereby easier
d. Thinking of something funny
e. Getting away by himself, in a room, or out with nature
=Posture.= Find out what is good posture in sitting, standing, and
walking, and see that the child maintains these. During childhood and
youth the bones are still soft and yielding, readily altered in shape.
Stretching, throwing, swinging from rings or horizontal bars,
climbing, rowing, swimming, are excellent preventive exercises, and
useful for correction of curvatures or round shoulders. For the
child’s use select chairs that are properly constructed (as most
chairs are not) and a table at which he can work without stooping,
changing such furniture to meet his needs as he grows.
Spinal curvature and round shoulders may be caused by rickets,
eyestrain, partial deafness, improperly constructed chairs and
tables, long sitting, insufficient outdoor life and physical
activity, unequal strength of complementary muscles of back and
chest, or of right and left sides, and by carrying always on one side.
Spinal curvature crowds the internal organs, interfering with the
normal functioning of lungs, heart, blood supply, stomach, and
intestines; it causes pressure upon the spinal nerves, and consequent
disorders in remote parts of the body controlled by the affected
nerves.
If curvature has developed, special gymnastics and training should be
faithfully practiced in addition to removing the cause. Braces are
inadvisable, preventing needed exercise. The correction of even the
slightest curvature is important while the bones are still plastic.
The special exercises should be prescribed by a physical director or
physician.
=Physical Exercises.= A child who has ample outdoor play space, and
clothes adapted to outdoor play is not likely to need any special
exercises. For correcting abnormal or weak conditions, the following
are effective:
1. Hanging from bar or swinging rings. (Figure 3.)
To overcome tendency toward spinal curvature, and to strengthen back
and trunk muscles.
2. Lying on table, hard bed, or floor (covered by clean sheet or
blanket); lift knees to chest, alternate legs four counts, then
together four counts. (Figure 1.)
3. Same exercise in standing position.
4. Lying on hard, clean surface, lifting feet at right angles to
trunk; alternate legs four counts; together four counts. (Figure 2.)
Exercises 2, 3, and 4 are valuable in overcoming constipation,
promoting digestion, strengthening trunk muscles, increasing
circulation to trunk and pelvis.
5. Lying on hard surface, arms folded, feet held down, rise to
sitting position. Four counts. (Figure 4.)
6. Same position, but hands clasped back of head. Four counts.
7. Same position, but arms extended above head. Four counts. (Figure
5.)
Exercises 5, 6, and 7 strengthen trunk, chest, and back muscles and
have also the values of 2, 3, and 4.
All exercise should begin slowly and be done steadily. Especially
with trunk exercises there should be no sudden, jerking movements.
One who is unaccustomed to these exercises should begin with the
easiest, (2) and (5), and gradually begin the more severe ones.
[Illustration:
Fig. 1 Fig. 4
Fig. 3
Fig. 2 Fig. 5
Exercises for Trunk, Chest, and Back.]
These exercises are especially important for girls, who are likely to
miss the climbing and tumbling exercises that their brothers enjoy.
Girls especially need the straight spine, the strong trunk muscles,
and the thorough pelvic circulation.
8. Lying on a hard surface, knees bent, forcibly contract and expand
the abdominal wall. By placing the hand on the abdomen, the sinking
and rising of the abdominal wall is easily marked.
This is a very mild exercise for increasing circulation in the trunk
and pelvis, thereby promoting digestion, overcoming constipation, and
strengthening the pelvic organs.
=Preventing or Overcoming Nervousness.= Nervousness may express
itself as:
Irritability, peevishness
Temper, tantrums, lack of emotional control
Poor coördinations, dropping things, shuffling in walking, waddling
gait, inability to hit a mark or walk on a straight line.
Lack of motor control; involuntary jerkings of muscles, twitchings
(chorea or St. Vitus’ dance)
Restless sleep, disturbed sleep, nightmares, sleeplessness
Masturbation
Bed-wetting, weakness of kidneys
Nail-biting
Fears
Silliness, simpering
Inability to learn
Inability to carry out a plan; much dreaming that never attains to
expression in action
Marked nervous defects, such as imbecility, idiocy, epilepsy, manias,
cannot be more than mentioned here. They may be present from birth,
or may develop later. Their treatment belongs entirely to the field
of the physician, neurologist, and psychopathologist. Treatment of
mental defects should begin at the earliest possible age; some forms
are curable if treated early.
Nervousness may be due to physical or psychological conditions. It
may appear at any age. Its causes may be immediate or may lie farther
back in childhood, infancy, or heredity. As the nervous system was
the latest to evolve, it is therefore the least stable, and the most
likely to suffer under stress of conditions. If there is a heredity
in either branch of the family, either of marked nervous defect,
alcoholism, or neurasthenia, special precautions should from the
first be taken to overcome this predisposition in the child.
Other causes of nervousness in children include:
Irregularity of régime
Poor nutrition
Constipation
Insufficient sleep, fatigue
Indoor life
Decaying teeth
Adenoids or enlarged tonsils
Eyestrain
Fine handwork, or reading; or other abuse of eyes
Pressure of school work
Undue excitement such as crowds, parties, theaters
Tickling, teasing, nagging, tossing
Masturbation
Suppression of curiosity regarding sex phenomena
Suppressing expression of interests, curiosity, or emotion
Worry or unhappiness
Threats of fearsome punishment
Cultivating of fear by “scaring”, telling of grewsome or unhappy
stories, seeing exciting picture plays
Lack of training in self-control
Preventing nervousness is a matter of preventing these causes;
overcoming is a matter of removing the cause and conducting a
constructive program of physical régime and psychological treatment.
The physical régime will include regularity, free outdoor life and
play, open-air sleeping, frequent rest periods, nutritious diet, with
special attention to sufficiency of mineral and laxative foods, and
use of relaxing or energizing exercises.
Rhythm through instrumental music that is listened to, or in dancing,
marching, gymnastic exercises, and singing, is of great value in
overcoming nervousness. Cheerful, happy, comfortable stories and
pictures will supply mental images to replace the disturbing ones,
especially before bedtime.
Relief from intestinal worms and local irritation, or circumcision,
may remove the cause of masturbation. The child’s questions regarding
sex phenomena should always be answered wholesomely, reverently,
sufficiently to give him a true perspective and to satisfy his
natural curiosity.
The substitution of large muscle work, as with large blocks, balls,
carpenter tools, will provide activity without taxing nerve ends
of fingers. Examination by the oculist (not optician) will locate
eyestrain. Opportunity for expression of wholesome emotions and
interests will remove tension and sense of suppression.
Interests or emotions that appear unwholesome or abnormal should
be patiently and thoroughly analyzed to discover the germ of
good that is in them, and to utilize this; consultation with a
physician, teacher, minister, social worker, or psychologist, may
be enlightening. Wholesome emotions and interests should have
encouragement for full expression, limited by the strength of the
child and courtesy due to others.
Detect fatigue symptoms: (a) the tenseness shown by flushed face,
rapid, labored breathing, excitement, erratic movements; or (b)
relaxation shown by listlessness, indifference, irritability,
forgetfulness. Fatigue not only overstrains the nerves; it develops
poisons in the blood that affect the whole system.
Fears are a difficult problem. Make a list of the things it is
observed the child fears, such as the dark, cats, dogs, flies, etc.
Gradually, slowly, patiently lead him to acquaintance with these, and
therefore to his own destruction of the fear. Teach him to memorize
quotations that ring with confidence, faith, courage.
Cultivate self-control through regularity of regimen, the example of
poise, the denying of any object that is screamed for, or cried for,
the inculcating of an ideal of self-control through story-telling.
=Sex Hygiene.= This is both a physiological and a psychological
problem. Both phases must always be recognized.
_Physiological Hygiene._ In infancy, keep the special organs clean
as directed in Chapter VI. Consult a physician regarding the
advisability of circumcision; this is needed in about twenty per
cent. of boys, and is often advisable in others; it is sometimes
required in girls.
Take special care that clothing is not rough, tight, or irritating
about the genitals; therefore avoid (a) underdrawers with more than
one-quarter wool; some children with sensitive skin should have
even these lined with thin cotton gauze; (b) drawers cut too short
or shallow in the seat (a defect in some ready-made styles); (c)
trousers too short or tight or with rough seams; (d) suspenders too
short, that pull the trousers too tight; trousers during first six
years should not have opening in front.
With young children, watch for any local irritation or discharge.
For the former, use local applications of boric solution as a wash,
followed by a starch powder or zinc ointment. Discover the cause;
it may be rough or damp clothing, intestinal worms, acid urine due
to excess of sugar or meat in the diet, or to insufficient drinking
water. Alkaline diet, or a pinch of soda in the drinking water
for a few days, will help to counteract the acidity. As the child
grows older, beyond six years, encourage him to report to you any
irritation, and teach him how he should relieve it.
If a discharge appears, of mucous, whitish, or greenish matter,
report the matter immediately to the physician, and take every
precaution against infection; use a local wash of boric acid, double
strength, cleanse the hands with antiseptic solution, sterilize the
child’s wash cloths, towels, underdrawers, and bedding, and let him
have his separate wash basin, chamber, and bath until the physician
gives assurance of no contagious disease.
Teach the child to always wash the hands after going to the toilet.
See that the hands are outside the bed covers at night; they may be
folded under the cheek, or the child may have a doll or toy animal
to hold. Be watchful, but do not let the child ever surmise that you
mistrust, suspect, or even watch him in these matters.
Avoid soft beds and especially feather beds, which are enervating and
are overheating to the spinal nerves.
Teach children never to use a public drinking cup or towel; and never
to sit on a public toilet, even in public school, without first
laying a paper over it so they do not come directly in contact with
the seat.
Avoid stimulating foods, such as condiments, or an excess of
meat—more than 2 or 3 ounces a day.
Avoid excitement by late hours, especially late dancing parties,
during adolescence. Set a standard of ten o’clock closing for school
or home dances for these young people. Teach them to find recreation
not dissipation.
_Psychological._ Cultivate respect for the body and reverence for its
creative work and organs, for motherhood, fatherhood, and birth of
any creature.
Cultivate a sense of modesty in both girls and boys from babyhood.
Inculcate in boys a spirit of chivalry toward all girls and
women; in girls, a sense of reserve, and an appreciation of their
responsibility for the social and moral standards of boys.
Instill a personal ideal of worthy fatherhood and motherhood; this
may begin incidentally at two or three years of age.
Give instruction in the biology of reproduction in plants,
emphasizing the protection, care, and forethought for the young. The
child naturally sees all the phenomena of life in an impersonal and
wholesome, that is, a scientific way. Cultivate this attitude in him
and in yourself.
Before children begin going to school, see that they are informed
sufficiently about the origin and birth of human life so that they
will no longer be curious or interested if unwholesome talk is
presented. Ill-trained children or unscrupulous adults usually sense
a well-informed and wholesome-minded child and are less likely to
present any vulgar conversation in his presence.
The boy will early meet with superstitions and perverted ideals among
his companions, particularly after twelve years, when the influence
of parents and teachers is waning before that of his companions.
Therefore teach him before this age that he has a great trust,—to
protect these organs sacredly for his children until he is grown and
is wise enough to be a father; that these organs are not like muscles
which must be used to develop and preserve their function, but that
they are glands, secreting fluids as other internal organs do, like
the spleen or the thyroid gland, and that these fluids are needed
for the well-being of the whole body; that the boys who ignorantly
think otherwise or act otherwise are greatly injuring and weakening
themselves.
Prepare both boy and girl, by instruction at about eleven years of
age, for the physical changes that are before them, so they will not
be surprised or frightened when these changes come. Thus prepared,
they will not ignorantly resort to measures that may produce lifelong
illness, or fall into the net of quacks, evil-minded men or women, or
ignorant companions.
Avoid taking the children to the theater before twelve or fourteen
years of age, and make it an event worth while. Be sure beforehand
that the play is clean and wholesome and not overstimulating.
Never allow children to go to theaters or picture plays without a
responsible older person. Be your children’s companion in drama and
in fiction as long as possible,—as long as you can see with their
eyes and their interests.
Keep children occupied with handwork, physical activity, and outdoor
life. It is the child with nothing to do, living an overfed,
indoor, uncontrolled life, who has every condition for falling into
temptation.
Cultivate an appreciation and taste for good literature, poetry,
sculpture, painting, music. Provide abundance of good and wholesome
books.
Teach children from babyhood that to follow merely the instincts and
the line of least resistance, to act merely from impulse and emotion,
is unworthy of a human being.
Foster idealism and religion, which have always been the great
bulwarks of the soul and the refiners of instincts.
=City or Country Life.= That the country provides more natural
physical conditions and health opportunities is self-evident. The
open air, the larger space and facilities for muscular exercise, the
freedom from artificial excitement, are all essential to vitality.
The marked differences between city and country children in height,
weight, chest girth, strength of grip, vitality, endurance, are
attested by the statistics of special investigators as well as by
general observation. The chest girth of country girls more nearly
approaches the average for boys of the same age than does that of
city girls. It is true that in sanitation the rural districts and
small towns have not kept pace with the large cities. Ventilation,
drainage, water supply, disposal of sewage, clean milk, the reporting
and control of infectious diseases, are too often neglected in rural
districts. The improvement of these sanitary conditions is part of
the responsibility of the home-maker.
=The School and Physical Health.= The weight of medical, biological,
and psychological authority of such experts as G. Stanley Hall, John
Dewey, Arthur Holmes, Lightner Witmer, Thomas D. Wood, J. M. Tyler,
is decidedly against prevailing unhygienic practices of the schools,
such as home study for children under high school age; nerve-racking
academic examinations; fine work in reading and writing for children
under nine years of age; indoor school life for young children;
artificial, sedentary life instead of physical activity during school
age; the over emphasis of the mental and the neglect of the motor
activities.
In a recent volume, “The Health of the Child,” Lewis M. Terman writes:
“The close correlation of morbidity with years of school attendance
and with the progress of the school term; the deterioration of
attention toward the end of the school year; the damaging effects
of strenuous school activities upon appetite, digestion, metabolism
and the constitution of the blood; the ill-effects from deprivation
of fresh air and healthful exercise; the impairment of nervous
coördinations and the profound disturbances reflexly produced by
worry—these and other injurious effects have been sufficiently
attested to justify the most vigorous prosecution of reform in
matters of educational hygiene.
“We have taken the child out of its natural habitat of open air,
freedom, and sunshine, and for nearly half his waking hours we are
subjecting him to an unnatural régime, one which disturbs all the
vital functions of secretion, excretion, circulation, respiration,
and nutrition.”
Defects Prevalent Among American School Children
Total School Population, 20,000,000
DEFECT PERCENTAGE OF SCHOOL
CHILDREN AFFECTED
Teeth 50%-90%
Eyes 15%-30%
Spinal curvature 20%-30%
Round shoulders 5%-10%
Tuberculosis (predisposition) 15%-20%
Ears 10%-20%
Enlarged or diseased tonsils 10%-15%
Adenoids 8%-10%
Malnutrition 6%-30%
Nervousness 5%
These defects are often acquired before school age, or as a result
of home conditions during school age. Note that they are chiefly
preventable by good hygiene in the home, practiced by intelligent
mothers and fathers.
Forms of rheumatism, heart disease, infectious diseases (such
as whooping cough, measles, mumps, scarlet fever), respiratory
diseases (as pneumonia, croup, tuberculosis), all are prevalent
and preventable diseases of childhood, reaping every year a great
harvest, and leaving a trail of permanent defects.
Two means of prevention are necessary and at hand:
(1) Wholesome daily hygiene (the elements of such hygiene have been
suggested in the foregoing pages). (2) Early detection of defects or
weakness, and their remedy in the incipient stage. This is possible
by an examination every six months during childhood and youth, by
(a) a competent physician, trained for preventive examinations, (b)
osteopath, (c) dentist, (d) oculist. With these two precautions on
the part of the home, the present enormous deathroll of one hundred
and fifty thousand little children each year from _preventable_
causes, and the preventable defective conditions of fourteen
million of the twenty million school children, could be practically
eliminated, and as reckoned by Professor Irving Fisher, the span of
life for each child could be increased fifteen years.
FOOTNOTES:
[15] See Preface, page xiii.
[16] Adapted and amplified from the Ninth Year Book of the National
Society for the Study of Education, by permission of the author,
Doctor Thomas D. Wood.