Medical inspection of schools in Providence. Address / by Charles V. Chapin.

  • Charles V. Chapin
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Medical inspection of schools in Providence. Address / by Charles V. Chapin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    5/16 (page 5)
    gate cases of suspected contagious sickness, or of infection by various parasites, or to give expert opinion as to the physical condition of certain chil- dren. The health officer had not the time to per- sonally accede to all these requests, and further- more he is far from being an expert in all depart- ments of medicine. Many of our teachers had heard of what was being done in Boston, and were very desirous of having a similar system established in our own city. At last, in 1894, the teachers and parents of the pupils in one of our large grammar schools subscribed a sum of money, and hired a physician to act as school physician for one month. They were very much gratified with the results ob- tained. This gave me the opportunity to ask for a special appropriation to start an inspection service for all the city schools. If such a service was im- portant enough for the parents and friends to put their hands in their own pockets to pay for it, it was certainly important enough for the city to un- dertake. No more effective argument could be made to a council in advocacy of school inspection than that the parents of children were willing to pay for it themselves. We began with an appropriation of $1,000.00, which was certainly very small for a city of 175,000 inhabitants, the population of Providence at that time. Two inspectors were appointed who were to give their mornings to the work. One of these physicians was a woman, and I would say that I consider women physicians eminently adapted for the examination of children and for dealing with teachers, and parents. In most cities, as you know, the plan is for an inspector to visit each school each morning. For