MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS 



remedied or modified, whereas neglect leads, almost without fail, 

 to permanent impairment of physical condition. 



In America, comprehensive systems embracing thorough 

 physical examinations of all pupils are still far from general. The 

 investigation conducted by the Russell Sage Foundation in the 

 spring of 1911 showed that while 443* cities reported systems of 

 medical inspection, in only 214, or a little less than half, did the 

 work include complete physical examinations conducted by school 

 physicians. Moreover, the cities having physical examinations 

 were mostly in the North Atlantic division, where the work is 

 oldest and most highly developed.! 



The accompanying table presents figures showing the number 

 of cities in each division which include in their medical inspection 

 systems full physical examinations for the detection of defects. 

 In this table the states are classified by divisions according to the 

 basis adopted by the United States Census. 



TABLE 10. CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES HAVING EXAMINATIONS 

 FOR THE DETECTION OF PHYSICAL DEFECTS, BY GROUPS OF STATES. 



191 I 



When these figures are compared with those giving the entire 

 number of cities which have systems of medical inspection,* 

 they show that the cities having physical examinations are more 

 than half of all in the North Atlantic states, less than half of all 

 in the South Atlantic and Western ones, and only about one-third 

 of those in the South Central and North Central groups. 



*Seep. 15. 



f Divisions adopted by the U. S. Census. See p. 14. 



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