Children Have Defective Eyes

Ann Arbor seems destined to take on even more of a scholastic air than ever before. And the change will probably come in the ward and grammar schools, where shortly a very large number of spectacled children may be seen.

Over 20 per cent of the children in the public schools have defective eyesight. This startling statement is made by Dr. Elliott K. Herdman, who is doing such efficient work in inspecting the schools. He said that not all of these children needed glasses but all needed attention and care if they wished to preserve their eyesight or avoid the headaches which so often come from defective vision.

At nearly every visit to a school some glaring instance of defective eyesight, uncared for and probably unknown even to the parents, comes to Dr. Herdman's attention and the child is given a note to its parents telling them, practically, to consult an occulist. Many children are already much happier in consequence. Sometimes no attention is paid to these notes and considerable suffering may be entailed upon the child in consequence.

Gradually more and more eyeglasses are finding their way into the public schools. When nearly 20 per cent of the children are fitted out with them, won't we be fairly entitled to be called the Boston of the west. By the way, the public schools of Boston have the most rigid medical inspection and possibly this accounts for the fact that the funny papers always depict a Boston youngster with spectacles.

The St. Thomas school is also inspected by Dr. Herdman and in this school the children seem to be more promptly looked after than in any other.

This medical inspection of the schools has been one of the greatest advances recently made here. In spite of the unusual prevalence of scarlet fever there has not a single case broken out in the schools recently. About four weeks ago Dr. Herdman sent one child home as threatened with an attack of scarlet fever and the child afterwards came down with it. Had it not been for medical inspeetion many school children would have been exposed.