PER CAPITA COSTS AND SALARIES 



than there are paying salaries of any other amount. On the other 

 hand, the average salary is somewhat higher than this. If com- 

 puted on the basis of the table, without taking into account the 

 number of physicians employed in each individual city, the average 

 salary would fall within the group receiving from $201 to $300. 



Of course the sum of $200 per annum paid to school physi- 

 cians is given in return for only a part of their time. Never- 

 theless, it has come to be regarded as a somewhat standard rate 

 of remuneration for school physicians all over America. There are 

 cases where so little work is required that this amount may be 

 considered adequate, but undoubtedly in most cases it represents 

 either an undue degree of sacrifice on the part of the school 

 physician or inadequate work. 



That the words of the eminent Oxford professor have been 

 heeded in his own country seems evident from the salaries paid 

 to the medical inspectors of schools in England. Almost without 

 exception salaries are appreciably higher than those paid in America, 

 and more liberal provision is made for clerk hire and for meet- 

 ing incidental expenses. Indeed, the undoubted fact is that the 

 whole movement has been placed on a higher plane in England 

 than in the United States. Nevertheless, the situation in England 

 with respect to remuneration for school medical work is still such 

 as to call forth much criticism from the British medical societies. 

 It appears that the dominant idea at the time that medical 

 inspection was inaugurated under the board of education was that 

 inspectors should be paid at the rate of from 25 to 60 cents for 

 each child examined. However, no definite financial standard was 

 established and much dissatisfaction has resulted. The British 

 Medical Association recently took up the subject and attempted 

 to formulate a standard which may be summarized as follows:* 



Payment to be based on time spent in school work (including 

 advisory and supervisory work), not on number of children examined. 



Salary for part-time officers: $250 per annum for one session per 

 week, or $200 per annum in the case of inexperienced beginners. (Women 

 to receive same salaries as men.) 



Not less than $2,500 per annum for experienced whole-time officers; 

 young assistants, $1,250 to $1,500 per annum. 



* Hogarth, A. H.: Medical Inspection of Schools, p. 136. London, Henry 

 Frowde, Oxford University Press, 1909. 



109 



