MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS 



In many instances salaries are now paid on a scale equal 

 to that indicated. Thus the town of Guilford, England, has 

 appointed a chief medical officer at $3,000 to be increased to $4,000 

 by equal increments, and four assistants at $1,250 each, besides 

 an allowance of $200 to each physician for traveling expenses. 

 Northampton has employed two inspectors at $1,500; Stafford 

 has one at $1,515 and three at $1,250, with provision for increase 

 to $1,500 and for payment of expenses and clerical assistance. 

 It must be remarked in considering these English salaries that the 

 amounts paid represent relatively greater incomes than do the 

 same sums in America. Moreover, the English code provides for 

 but three physical examinations in the course of the school life of 

 the child, whereas the Massachusetts law, where the standard 

 salary of the school physicians is $200 per year, requires that such 

 a complete physical examination of each child be made every year. 



COST OF CLERICAL ASSISTANCE 



A feature of the financial administration of medical inspec- 

 tion which has received adequate attention abroad, but which has 

 been almost entirely neglected here, is that of furnishing medical 

 inspectors with adequate clerical assistance. In the nature of 

 the case, the work requires the making of a great many entries 

 on individual record cards or sheets; and upon the thoroughness 

 and system with which this is done depends to a large degree the 

 efficacy of the work. Recent careful timing of work done by one 

 of the most skilful examiners in the employ of the New York City 

 board of health shows that it took him on the average about 

 twelve minutes to make each physical examination. Half of 

 this time was employed in conducting the examination itself and 

 the other half was spent in the purely clerical work of entering 

 results on the sheets. The very writing of the names of the 

 pupils on their individual record cards and those of the parents on 

 notification cards often consumes a great deal of time in some 

 quarters of the city, and constitutes a class of work which ought 

 not to be foisted upon a trained physician. Here are some 

 names taken more or less at random from the school registers in a 

 Polish section: 



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