296 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



psyeho-pathology, wrought by such investigators as Fteud, Jung, 

 Prince, Sidis and Adolf Meyer. The situation may be summed up in a 

 sentence : The physician's training does not qualify him for the many 

 sided tosh of adapting the program and environment of the school to 

 the health and growth needs of the pupil. The main purpose of this 

 article is to suggest tentatively and somewhat roughly some of the more 

 important lines of professional preparation necessary for those who are 

 to work in any field of child hygiene in the public schools. 



Educational hygiene has four chief aspects: (1) "Medical Inspec- 

 tion/' including routine examinations for physical defects and conse- 

 quent follow-up service; (2) supervision of physical training, includ- 

 ing free play, gymnastics, and athletic sports; and (3) child psychology, 

 including clinical work with mentally and morally atypical children, 

 the hygiene of instruction, etc.; (4) researches in school heating, light- 

 ing, ventilation, seating, sanitation and other externals affecting the 

 health of the child. Each of these divisions has of course its logical 

 subdivisions but as only the very largest cities could employ a more 

 specialized stafE than this scheme calls for it is unnecessary to carry 

 the classification further. On the other hand, the majority of school 

 health officers will probably for some years to come have to serve more 

 or less in all these capacities. Assuming, however, the four separate lines 

 of specialization above designated let us examine the general and special 

 courses of study which would be necessary for their successful pursuit. 



To begin with, it would seem that the time requirement could not 

 reasonably be placed below seven years in addition to a four year high 

 school course. This corresponds to the usual allotment for the doctorate 

 of philosophy and to that for the doctorate of medicine in our sixteen 

 best medical schools. Using the seven-year basis for our calculation, the 

 course falls naturally into three divisions. The first three years would 

 be given to regular college work in which the elements of physics, 

 chemistry, biology, physiology, psychology, paidology, sociology and at 

 least one modern language would be taught. The next three years 

 would be ample time in which to give all that is needful for the school 

 health officer out of the present medical curriculum, besides leaving 

 a fair margin for collateral work in psychology, paidology, and the 

 technical aspects of education. The last year would be reserved for 

 carefully supervised clinical practise in the public schools. Proof of 

 ability to read both French and German should be required a year 

 before the end of the course, for most of the important researches in 

 school hygiene are in these languages. 



Physicians will of course object to the time allotment for the second 

 division. How, they will ask, can you condense a medical course into 

 three years, to say nothing of a margin to be left for psychology and 

 paidology? The answer is more in terms of elimination than of con- 

 densation. Pharmacology, materia medica and therapeutics can be dis- 



