HEALTH IN THE HOME

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 153, 26 December 1918, Page 7

HEALTH IN THE HOME

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE,

In a letter to the Minister of Education, Mr. J. B. Finlay (secretary of the St. John Ambulance Association) remarks that liis association lias interested itself in home hygiene. Examinations are conducted throughout the. Dominion by the association from year to year, and certificates are issued on a pass of 60 per cent. The medallion ie obtained by examination after an interval of twelve months from the first "First Aid" examination, on a pass of 75 per cent.

Most of the classes are lectured to by qualified medical men. Occasionally, however, qualified nurses and St. John Ambulance officers have lectured and demonstrated, in which case the certificate only bears the signatures of the examiner, the secretary, and His Excellency the Governor-General, Diagram maps, human skeleton, and. black-boards are used.

"If you, have resolved on the policy of getting these classes into secondary schools in the Dominion." conthraee Mr. Finlay, "and propose to make use of our association, I would be glad of an early intimation from you on this matter, so that all materials can be in hand before classes are arranged for. You no doubt, appreciate the world-wide recognition of the value of St. John Ambulance certificates, etc., and I think it would be possible to frame some bylaw in our rules and regulations whereby your owr. teachers, if efficient and duly qualified as St. John Ambulance certificated members, conM give" lectures and demonstrations, our association to issue the certificates on receipt of examination results from the schools.

"Some of the, technical schools have, put home nursing on their syllabus, and as the course has bsen made to cover, instead of the usual six weeks, a period of six months, the examination results in these schools have been excellent. My committee is of opinion that T?irßi Aid' and home nnrsteg should be compulsory subjects in the State schools Sixth Standard, and hi all college and technical schools. If this were bo. there -would be a great amciwt of qualified talent. available to form, for fnturn war emergency and epidemics, a large and per-manent-national reserve of men and xvomeii in brigades and nursing divisions."