B1GEI.I IW 



ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PHYSIOLOGY 71 



the elementary school, hygienic instruction is certainly the most im- 

 portant ; and this in the opinion of leading physiologists is the proper 

 work for the earlier years. As has been indicated above, there is no 

 justification for any direct study of the structure and workings of 

 internal organs in the lower grades. Some simple hygienic facts 

 may suggest internal organs concerning which there is much common 

 knowledge. Thus the hygiene regarding posture and breathing may 

 require the mention of lungs, but attempts at anatomical and phy- 

 siological considerations of these organs would better be left for later 

 years of the grammar school. It is useless to attempt to explain the 

 physiological basis of all hygienic and sanitary rules with which 

 children should be familiar. Much better is the recommendation of 

 the Committee of Ten that "such instruction should be given 

 and received (as many other things concerning conduct must be 

 received by young children) upon authority, than as an appeal to the 

 judgment of the pupil as based on his physiological knowledge." 



I doubt whether lessons in hygiene should constitute a separate 

 branch of instruction with a special time assignment on the program 

 in any grade. It seems better to include and correlate such instruc- 

 tion with nature-study and " elementary science," because a con- 

 tinuous series of rules for personal health is extremely uninteresting, 

 no matter how well presented. Certainly there is no adequate justi- 

 fication for repeating lessons in hygiene throughout the intermediate 

 and upper grades ; and if they must be presented as a distinct subject, 

 let them be limited to one or at most two years. 



The following, taken from various works on nature-study, will sug- 

 gest some of the possible correlations between nature-study and 

 hygiene ; but the details of the plan will necessarily depend upon the 

 course in nature-study. In nature-study work with squirrels, rabbits, 

 or other common animals, the form and uses of mouth, jaws and 

 teeth may be made to lead to comparison with human teeth, their use 

 and their care. In other words, all the elementary hygiene of the 

 mouth-cavity may be correlated with nature-studies of animals. Like- 

 wise, the hygiene of human skin, hair and nails may be brought up 

 in connection with studies of their structures in various animals in- 

 volved in the nature-studies. The hygiene of clothing is naturally 

 referred to in connection with nature-study lessons on the fur or wool 

 of animals ; possibly with silk and cotton ; and also with lessons on 

 heat in the physical nature-study. The useful hygiene of the eyes 

 and ears may be introduced in connection with simple experiments 



