LESSONS ON HEALTH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 19, 5 January 1912, Page 5

LESSONS ON HEALTH.

A REGULAR COURSE WANTED. il’pr Frt‘«a Association.! Timaru, January 3. The president of the Educational lustiuue v* v E- U. D. i’databank), in urging me adoption oi' a dehnile course in hygiene in schools, said the' necessity lor it was indicated by tiie large loss of lives under one year. The majority of infants were born healthy, out were sacrificed to the ignorance of uieir parents. it was not much good urging the medical and dental examination of school children unless parents were uetter instructed, save tin at through such examinations groat interest in the children’s health might result. At present something was done in regard to health-teaching, but in a liapna; (ird manner. it snould be dealt witn in regular courses, graduated by standards. Mr Flambank suggested certain divisions of the subject as suitable, and said teachers should have text books specially drawn up to aid them. Hygiene, too, should replace physiology as a subject for teachers’ examinations. A considerable portion of the paper was devoted to advocacy of teaching the physiology of sex to those of twelve years and upwards. The home was the ideal place for teaching this, but experience proved that the ideal was impracticable. The necessity for it was admitted, and the question was Whether the teaching should be individual or collective. Previously he had believed in individual teaching, but after hearing the secretary of the White Cross League' give a lecture to boys, he believed tiie collective method was best. In order to make a commencement, he suggested the appointment of two instructors carefully selected by the Education Department to tisit the schools of the Dominion.