An outgrowth of the school hygiene movement, the American School Hygiene Association (ASCHA) was a professional organization of physicians, dentists, administrators, nurses, and other stakeholders in the health and well-being of school children. Formed in 1906, it involved reformers and politicians of the

Progressive movement Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techn ...

era, and was active in school health and advocacy issues until its last congress in 1921.

Formation

ASCHA had its birth with a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

meeting of health care and school personnel on December 3, 1906. The association was formed to "stimulate research and promote discussion of the problem of school hygiene" and "to take an active part in movements wisely aiming to improve the hygienic conditions surrounding children during school life." The stated goal of the association was: Founding members included

Hermann Biggs Hermann Michael Biggs (September 29, 1859 – June 28, 1923) was an American physician and pioneer in the field of public health who helped apply the science of bacteriology to the prevention and control of infectious diseases. He was born in ...

, Irving Fisher, Henry Goddard, Luther Gulick, and Adolf Meyer.

Membership and activity

Progressive movement era President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

was honorary president of ASCHA from 1907 to 1908, and in 1909 he convened the first

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

Conference on the Care of Dependent Children. ASCHA had thirteen congresses (or

conferences A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...

), along with published proceedings, from its inception, which promoted "programs focusing upon a healthy school environment, including proper

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...

, the screening of children for health problems, and adequate health instruction." In 1912, it partnered with the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's sta ...

(AMA) to establish "teaching of practical

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

and

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

in public and private schools." The final congress of the ASCHA was in 1921.

Legacy

While many schools during this era adopted only

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

instead of a comprehensive school health education, ASCHA "helped shape the developing school hygiene education movement." Some of its members went on to form the American Association of School Physicians in 1926, which in 1936 was renamed the

American School Health Association The American School Health Association (ASHA) is a professional association. It claims a membership of 1,000 members in all 50 US states and other nations. More than half practice in K-12 schools or administer health education or health service ...

(ASHA). ASHA is still active in the advocacy and research of school health-related issues.

References

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External links

Proceedings of the Fifth Congress of the American School Hygiene Association
on

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Extract
from ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

'' magazine regarding ASCHA Hygiene Medical and health organizations based in New York (state) 1906 establishments in New York City 1921 disestablishments in the United States Organizations established in 1906 Organizations disestablished in 1921

Formation

Membership and activity

Legacy

See also

References

External links