HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS 



the second during the sixth year of school life or about the tenth 

 year of age, and the third at the time the child is about to leave 

 school and go to work. 



England was the pioneer in the employment of school 

 nurses, the first having been appointed in London as early as 1887. 

 However, the first school nurses in the modern acceptation of the 

 term were appointed in 1901 by the London school board, and their 

 employment is now becoming general in other cities. 



OTHER COUNTRIES 



In Belgium medical inspection is the rule in the more impor- 

 tant municipalities, and Brussels is credited with having estab- 

 lished the first system of medical inspection in the full modern 

 sense of the term in 1874, when school physicians were appointed 

 and charged with the duty of inspecting every school three times 

 a month. This system was remarkably successful from its incep- 

 tion, was copied in other cities of Belgium, and served as a model 

 for systems in Switzerland. Some of the earliest work of school 

 dentists and oculists was done in Belgium. 



In Norway medical inspection has progressed steadily since 

 1885, when some localities began to support regular school physi- 

 cians. Permissive regulations were passed in 1889 and were 

 followed two years later by mandatory ones. 



Sweden is probably the country where the term "school 

 physician" was first used in its modern sense. As far back as 1868 

 medical officers were attached to the staff of every public secondary 

 school. Their duties and spheres of activity have been progres- 

 sively extended, beginning first with the higher schools, and since 

 1895 including the primary ones. 



In Denmark there is no regular system of medical inspection 

 nor any legislation directly providing for it. Nevertheless, some 

 work is carried on in the elementary and secondary schools of her 

 larger towns and cities, Copenhagen having led the way in 1896. 



Russia has made provision for medical inspection since 1871 

 but with a few exceptions it has not extended beyond the secondary 

 and higher schools. 



Austria was the first country to enact effective legislation 

 providing for medical inspection in the elementary schools, by a 



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