ome. The future of the race so far as she
represents it, depends upon her health. What is the high school doing to
improve the girl's health? In the overwhelming majority of cases absolutely
nothing. On the other hand, it is subjecting her to a regimen planned for
boys, without the slightest consideration of the physical and functional
differences between the sexes.

"It pays no attention to the curvature of the spine developed by the
exclusively sit-at-a-desk-and-study-a-book type of education bequeathed to
the girlhood of the nation by the medieval monastery: It ignores the
chorea, otherwise known as St. Vitus' dance developed by overstudy and
underexercise; it disregards the malnutrition of hasty breakfasts, and
lunches of pickles, fudge, cream-puffs and other kickshaws, not to mention
the catch penny trash too often provided by the janitor or concessionaire
of the school luncheon, who isn't doing business for his health or for
anybody else's; it neglects eye-strain, unhygienic dress, uncleanly habits,
anemia, periodic headaches, nervousness, adenoids, and wrong habits of
posture and movements.... If you believe that the high school is a social
institution with a mission of public service, regardless of the relation of
that service to Latin or Algebra, then you must agree that it should look
after what everyone recognizes as the foremost need of the adolescent girl.

"One fact that every educator in both camps knows is that the home is not
attending to the health of the adolescent girl. This problem is pressing
upon us now largely because of the revolutions in living conditions that
has come within the last quarter of a century."

In a report of a recent Conference on the Conservation of School [26]
Children held at Lehigh University by the American Academy of Medicine, the
following items appear.

Four great reasons why medical inspection in schools is needed were brought
out by Dr. Thomas A. Story of New York, who spoke from the educator's
standpoint:

"The first reason is concerned with communicable diseases, and the second
with remediable incapacitating physical defects. It was reported in 1906
that over twenty per cent. of the children in the schools of New York City
had defective vision, and over fifty per cent. had defective teeth. These
defective conditions are amenable to treatment whereby the functional
efficiency of the pupil is improved. He is capable of better work and the
school efficiency is