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SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XII. No. 300 



and is well arranged, both as to illumination and ventilation ; 

 whereas the antiquated structure on Linden Street is sadly deficient 

 in both of these particulars. Now compare the percentage of near- 

 sighted children in corresponding classes (fourth, fifth, and sixth) 

 in the two buildings, and you will find that while the Market Street 

 school has 2.8 per cent, the Linden Street school has 5 per cent. 

 These figures commend the new building as strongly as they con- 

 demn the old, and no stronger plea can be advanced for new build- 

 ings, so constructed as to furnish proper illumination and a plenti- 

 ful supply of fresh air, than is furnished by these figures, which 

 show that nearly double the number of the pupils with impaired 

 sight come from a badly constructed building with poor light and 

 bad air." 



In November, 1886, Dr. H. P. Allen of Columbus, O., was ap- 

 pointed by the board of education of that city to examine the eyes 

 of the pupils of the public schools. In his report he says : — 



" I examined between Dec. 12, 1886, and June 6, 1887, the eyes 

 of 4,700 pupils of the public schools, as follows : All of the high- 

 school classes, 12 in number; all of the grammar schools, 72 in 

 number; all of the primary schools, 24 in number ; and 12 of the 

 B, C, and D primary schools; making a total of 120 schools out of 

 the 200 of the city. This included all of the children above 10 years 

 of age, with the exception of about 250, who were scattered through 

 the various lower schools. I visited all of the school-buildings, and 

 saw most of the school-rooms. 



"The examinations were made chiefly to determine the condition 

 of vision of the children, and find, in cases where vision was defec- 

 tive, the correcting glasses. The work was done in the school- 

 room during school-hours. Each child was examined separately, 

 its name, age, sex, nationality, complexion, color of eyes, condition 

 of sight, and required glass noted at the time. My records indicate 

 the kind of trouble and the condition of sight with sufficient accu- 

 racy for all practical purposes, and enable us to draw certain well- 

 defined deductions. The points to which I wish especially to call 

 your attention are as follows : — 



" First, The large number and percentage of pupils among the 

 4,700 with one or two defective eyes, — 1,175 cases, or 25 per cent 

 of all the children examined. 



" Second, Those with two defective eyes, — 936, or 20 per cent 

 of all the children examined. 



" Third, The increase in prevalence of near-sightedness as we go 

 up the scale from o per cent in the D primary schools to 13 per 

 cent in the senior class of the high school, and 17 per cent among 

 the females of the senior class from o per cent at the age of 6 years 

 to 1 1.3 per cent at the age of 17 years, showing the relation of this 

 trouble to increasing age and increasing demands upon the eyes. 



" Fourth, The about equal percentage of each of the other defects 

 in the low, intermediate, and high grades, showing their independ- 

 ence of increasing years and increasing demands upon the eyes. 



" Fifth, the diminution in the percentage of good eyes as we as- 

 cend the scale, from 80 per cent in the D primary to 66.6 per cent 

 in the senior class of the high school." 



A similar examination was made during the year, of the eyes of 

 pupils in the public schools of Kansas City and Nevada, Mo., and 

 of the students of the State normal schools at Warrensburg and 

 Kirksville, Mo., and the State universities of Missouri and Kansas, 

 by Flavel B. Tiffany, M.D., of Kansas City, Mo. The results of 

 this examination differ in at least one material respect from those 

 reported from Memphis and Columbus. The most important 

 facts developed, with other matters of interest mentioned by the 

 examiner, are here shown : — 



" That perfect vision, perfect eyesight, be enjoyed by our progeny, 

 depends largely upon the recognition of any defect, slight though it 

 may be, in early life, timely correction of the same if possible, and 

 care and proper use of the organ while in the school-room. That 

 many a boy or girl with some anomaly of refraction or accommo- 

 dation has been allowed to suffer day after day in order to keep 

 pace with his class, and eventually develop more serious conditions 

 or even blindness, is too evident ; whereas if the trouble had been 

 recognized in time, and proper steps taken, much suffering as well 

 as serious consequences could have been averted. The object of 

 these investigations is to ascertain the condition of the eyes of the 

 youth, the effect of use of the organ for near and small objects, and 



the final consequences ; and finally, if possible, to correct the evils 

 arising before irremediable damage has been done. 



"In our investigations not only myopia but hypermetropia, as- 

 tigmatism, spasm of accommodation, and strabismus were looked 

 for. Every eye that was not up to the standard of vision (that of 

 twenty-twentieths) was not dubbed myopic. A careful examina- 

 tion was made with the trial glasses, or optometer, and a more ac- 

 curate diagnosis made. Our results show a much larger per cent 

 of hypermetropia and astigmatism, and spasm of accommodation, 

 than myopia, there being nearly four times as many hypermetropic 

 pupils as myopic. Of the whole number examined, 2,040, in the 

 different grades and schools, 99, or 4.8 per cent, had spasm of ac- 

 commodation. Now, spasm of accommodation, or simple hyper- 

 metropia even, if not corrected by glasses or relieved by rest from, 

 near and small objects, is likely to develop into myopia, or possibly 

 intra-ocular disease : hence the importance of these examinations. 



" In our examinations the increase of anomaly of refraction as. 

 we ascend in the grades is not marked, — in fact, in some schools 

 it seems to diminish, — but this would not be a definite proof one 

 way or the other, since from one examination, as a different set of 

 pupils are examined in each grade and in each school, there is no 

 means of knowing but that those of the higher grades started with 

 the same degree of anomaly in the primary departments as is found 

 in the seventh year of the grammar school or the high school. In 

 fact, it seems to be true that pupils with anomalies of refraction,, 

 both myopes and hypermetropes, are closer students and fonder of 

 books and study than the emmetropes or those of perfect vision ; 

 and hence these students remain in school, while many of those 

 with perfect vision drop out before they reach the higher depart- 

 ments. In our examinations we find a greater percentage of 

 anomaly among the normal schools of Kirksville and Warrensburg 

 than any other ; but it does not necessarily follow that this is the 

 result of a longer course of study and closer application with the 

 eyes, although it is conjecturally true. The only way to prove that 

 study is the cause, or otherwise, is to watch the same set of pupils, 

 from the primary department up through the different grades, and 

 see if John, Mary, and James, starting at six or seven years of age 

 in the primary department with perfect emmetropic eyes, finally 

 later on develop myopia. In our examinations this can be done, as 

 we have the name in full, color of each eye, present amount of vis- 

 ion, whether there is any hereditary defect or not ; and now, should 

 the examinations be continued and the same pupils called for as 

 they enter the higher grades year after year, a very definite and 

 satisfactory idea can be gained. 



" As to the lighting and ventilation of our school-rooms, very 

 little need be said, as so much attention has been given to this sub- 

 ject by our efficient board, that the Kansas City school-room is al- 

 most perfection in those particulars. In the Washington School, 

 where we find the largest per cent of defective eyes in the lower 

 grades, I noticed first and second year pupils, for want of room, 

 were crowded into a room calculated for older pupils, and hence the 

 distance between the desk and the seat was too great, as well as- 

 that from the seat to the floor, compelling the little pupil to hang,, 

 as it were, upon the desk, his feet not touching the floor. This- 

 position, of necessity, brought his face too near his book or slate, 

 and hence taxed the power of accommodation of the eyes to a great 

 degree ; and besides, this school, from its location on the north side 

 of the hill, is not so well lighted and ventilated as others. In the 

 Nevada School I found a less degree of anomaly among the same 

 grade of students than in the Kansas City schools. This I attrib- 

 uted to the fact that the school is in a small country town, where 

 the children have more freedom of the field, where they are not 

 crowded so much as our city children are, and perhaps have better 

 ventilated school-rooms. 



" There were 2.040 pupils examined, embracing seven different 

 nationalities, besides several of mixed nationality. 



" Of the 1,422 Americans, 300, or2i.i per cent, have some anom- 

 aly of refraction. 



" Of the 129 Germans, 32, or 24.8 per cent, are affected ; of the- 

 26 French, 5, or 19.2 per cent ; of the 15 Scotch, 3, or 20 per cent ; 

 of the 67 Irish, 20, or 27.8 per cent ; of the 47 English, 8, or 17 per 

 cent ; of the 1 1 Swedish, 3, or 27.2 per cent ; of the 93 mixed, 22, 

 or 23.6 per cent. 



