HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS 



Forty-three per cent of the cities and towns which reported 

 to the Foundation had regularly organized systems of medical 

 inspection in their public schools. The number of municipalities 

 reporting, the number having systems of medical inspection, and 

 the per cent having such systems in each state group, are shown in 

 the following table: 



TABLE I. CITIES OF UNITED STATES HAVING MEDICAL INSPECTION, 

 BY GROUPS OF STATES. II I 



a Representing 1,046 school systems. 



The percentage figures in the final column show that medical 

 inspection has made the best progress in the North Atlantic and 

 Western divisions, where 57 per cent of the cities had taken up the 

 new work. In the two southern divisions the percentages are 31 

 and 35, and the poorest showing is made by the North Central 

 division, where only 29 per cent of the cities had medical inspec- 

 tion systems. 



It has been stated that the first system of medical inspection 

 was inaugurated by Boston in the year 1894. Ten years later, 

 in 1904, 36 cities and towns had such systems. From this time on, 

 the increase was exceedingly rapid until in 191 1, as shown above, 

 the number of municipalities which had systems of medical 

 inspection had increased to nearly 450. Out of the 443 cities and 

 towns reporting systems of medical inspection, 32 did not state 

 the year in which work began. From the records of the 41 1 cities 



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