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the school authorities. The parents, too, have at last begun to appreciate the beneficial results of the work, so that few of them now protest against the new system. Indirectly, also, they have been taught many new lessons in the matter of cleanliness and how to care for their little ones. No longer do they come to the Health Department in mobs as they used to do, protesting, like one poor woman, that "every nit don't necessarily mean a louse anyway!" Slowly but surely both parent and child have begun to be ashamed of uncleanliness, so that nurses and inspect- ors assure me that their work is really beginning to tell.
Some idea of the greatly increased efficiency of the present system of "squad" organization and routine inspection of every child in every school, first started by Dr. Bensil in September, 1902, may be obtained by comparing the number of cases of contagious eye diseases excluded during the six months from January 10, 1902, to June, 1902, with the number excluded under the present administration during the six months from September 10, 1902, to March 7, 1903. In the former period the number excluded was only 1,925 ; during the six months of the present system 25,366 cases were excluded. If we also compare the number of parasitic diseases of the head, we find that only 2,73; cases were excluded during the six months from January 10,
1902, to June, 1902, as against 19,288 cases excluded during the same number of months from September 10, 1902, to March 7,
1903. A similar comparison of the number of true cases of diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, chicken pox, etc., compared with the actual (whole) number excluded, is also instructive, but the tables must be omitted for lack of space. 1
But perhaps one of the most practical reforms inaugurated bj the present administration in connection with its medical inspec- tion of schools is the new eye hospital established for the free
1 Since the above was written, the figures for the first week of the school year ir 1903 (September 14-18) have been made public. These show that only 439 pupils as against 4,730, were excluded from school. Of these but 59, as against 3,087, wer sent home because they had pediculosis, while only 314 were excluded on account of contagious eye diseases. With practically the same corps of inspectors as last year, this surprising result would appear to be due largely to the greater care used by the parents in preventing contagion, so that it is no longer necessary to exclude any but the worst cases.
