A survey of the educational system of the Philippine islands by the Board of educational survey, created under acts 3162 and 3196 of the Philippine Legislature.

454 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

reasons: (1) The Board of Health is, by the very nature of its personnel, interested only in communicable diseases; with the other phases
of child health it is not concerned. (2) The Board of Health is so
engaged with other important matters of public health that it neglects
the school problems. (3) Administratively it is more satisfactory and
more efficient to have the health supervision of school children under
the direction of those responsible for the mental and social education
of the child, i. e., the Board of Education. The Philippine Health
Service, notwithstanding its excellent record in public health, is not
well organized to conduct the health supervision of school children. It
is top-heavy with physicians and greatly understaffed with nurses.
The American Red Cross (Philippine Chapter) had 105 nurses
working with school children in 1923 and 80 in,1924. As effective
assistants in this important work their worth is commonly recognized.
The general public is to be highly commended for its support of the
Red Cross. In no way can society more clearly contribute to the
meeting of a pressing need today than in continued support and further
extension of this nursing service in the schools.
The Junior Red Cross dentists have likewise had a conspicuous
part in the health supervision of school children. Agencies of this
kind are commendable not only because of the high type of social
direction behind the organization but also because they represent an
opportunity for social education and self-help.
A summary of the clinic work of the Junior Red Cross dentists
may be given in tabular form as follows:
Dental clinics established...................................................................... 65
Children inspected......................................................... 274,940
Children with defects........................................................ 188,407
Treatments...................................................1....... 163,081
Extractions.......................................................... 137,413
Fillings................................................................. 120,913
Corrections............................................................................................ 70,249
C leanings............................................................................ 184,054
This statement shows that 69 per cent of children inspected had dental
defects.
During the year 1923, contributions to the Junior Red Cross from
all the provinces gave a grand total of P207,174.74. With this sum
of money, 65 dentists at the rate of P3,187 per dentist were kept in
the field in 1923-24. A budget of P3,500 will approximately cover
the cost of maintaining a dentist in the field including salary of dentist,
his assistant, supplies, and traveling expenses.