Page:LewisMeriam-TheProblemOfIndianAdministration.djvu/238

workers have obtained gratifying results by the same means. Even though this method has not been proved, it is believed the Indian Service would have made greater progress by consolidating the two methods in its program. The importance of this joint attack is obvious when the Indian’s diet on the reservation or in the school is considered. In both instances the diet is deficient. The difficulties to be met in improving this situation on the reservation are very apparent, but in the boarding school no reason is apparent for the restricted diet given. This point is well illustrated at the boarding school at Fort Defiance, which in January, 1927, was turned into a trachoma school. All children enrolled there suffering with the diseases were retained, those free were exchanged with other schools for their trachomatous children. In March, approximately 450 trachomatous children were at this school. A special nurse was detailed to treat their eyes twice daily under the direction of the local physician, a man well qualified to superintend this work. Considering these factors, this work was highly commendable, but there is another important consideration. In the first place, these children were put under practically the same routine that they would find in any other government school, including the overcrowding so generally prevalent. Secondly, a perusal of the weight charts posted in the various dormitories showed that 25 per cent of these children were listed as from one to seventeen pounds under their normal weight, computed on the usual height-age standards. Some of these children were recent arrivals from day schools, and other reservation schools. Although the mere presence of fat is no indication of the health of children and weight is not necessarily an accurate guide to their physical condition, yet careful observation of the pupils seen indicated that their bodies were not well nourished.

No additional allowance for food was made when this institution was changed to a trachoma school,^[1] so the children were subsisting on the same faulty diet found in practically all schools. Little or