PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS 



It should be remembered that in general these data represent 

 unusually good conditions rather than typical ones. It would be 

 difficult to find many other cities with equally good records of 

 accomplishment. The lesson to be drawn from this situation is 

 that municipalities should aim at an ideal that is possible of attain- 

 ment. It would be far better to plan to examine each child once 

 every second year and succeed in doing so than to attempt to do 

 the entire work every year and fail. It would also be far bet- 

 ter to examine children in alternate years and employ vigorous 

 measures to secure correction of defects than to examine every 

 year and merely notify parents of the need of treatment. 



TIME AND COST* 



Physical examinations of the sort commonly given in the 

 better American systems require from three to ten minutes each, 

 depending on the skill of the examiner, the thoroughness of the 

 examinations, and the condition of the pupils. Perhaps a fair 

 average is 10 examinations per hour. This will not be reached 

 in the poverty-stricken sections of our great cities, where the 

 children are invariably of a low average of physical condition, 

 and will be exceeded in the more prosperous districts, where the 

 children are much more nearly normal. 



Although 10 examinations per hour is a fair average on which 

 to base calculations, it must be remembered that one examiner 

 should not be expected to do this work much more than two or 

 three hours per day. This means a limit of from 20 to 30 examina- 

 tions per physician per day. From these figures an estimate of 

 per capita cost may be reached. How much this will amount to 

 will depend not only on the rate of remuneration of the physicians, 

 but to a considerable degree on the character of clerical help 

 afforded him for recording the results of his examinations. 



Probably the best plan, making for increased efficiency as 

 well as economy, is to have the school nurse or the room teacher 

 record the results of the examinations. In the latter case a sub- 

 stitute must of course be placed in charge of the teacher's room 

 during her absence. There is a distinct advantage in thus enlist- 

 ing the active sympathy and assistance of the room teacher. 

 * For full discussion of this subject see Chap. VIII, p. 101 ff. 

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