Page:Labour and childhood.djvu/177

 and seven hundred thousand of these would have been spent in hospital. That means a yearly saving of more than a million marks! And while the death rate was reduced by two-thirds, the amount of sickness was reduced by half. For instead of 6&middot;7 per thousand of all the garrison being in hospital as formerly, there were now only three and a half. The hospital expenses too were lessened by one half. This happy result was attained only when an independent department for military sanitation—a department with a doctor at the head of it—was appointed. This, as the Report shows, gives quite obvious reasons why the development of sanitation in the army should be helped forward."

At the door of the school however the reformer hesitated long. The army results were good, but it was felt that to bring the doctor across the school threshold was a serious thing! To begin with, was it not an interference with parental rights? And then—the teacher! Was it not wrong to bring into the school a visitor who might interfere with him and make trouble? Ach Himmel! And finally, could not the teacher himself do all that was necessary instead of the school doctor? After all he, the teacher, perhaps knew something about Hygiene.

The first hesitations and objections are based