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The Michigan Alumnus 17
DR. SUNDWALL—HEAD OF NEW DEPARTMENT
OF HYGIENE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
The University's new Department of Hygiene and Public Health, which in cludes Physical Education, is in charge of Dr. John Sundwall who comes to Michigan this year from the University of Minnesota. This department was established last year to work in con- junction with the Medical School, the School of Education and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Dr. Sundwall comes well prepared for his work. He received the degrees of B. S. and Ph. D. at the University of Chi cago, and the M. D. degree at Johns Hopkins University. He has served with the United States Public Health Service, and was Professor of Anatomy at the University of Kansas for six years. For the last three years he has been Director of the Health Service which he established at the University of Min nesota, where he served also as Professor of Hygiene and as Chairman of the Senate Committee in charge of intra- mural sports. He has also won wide notice as a writer upon physical educa tion and public health.
Dr. Sundwall's department includes the following units: Health Service, Men's Gymnasium, Women's Gymnas ium and Intramural Sports. President Burton says:
"It has within it large possibilities, not only for the physical welfare of the entire student body, but consequently for the character of the educational work we are endeavoring to do. The problems of student welfare, which until recently have been largely overlooked by Ameri can Universities, deserve the most care ful consideration, especially in the large and rapidly growing student populations. Questions of hygiene, sanitation, public health and wholesome, challenging play for every student either in intercollegiate contests or in intramural sports, cannot be wisely disregarded. In the interests of high scholastic standards and sound eco nomic conservation of values we must aim to correct obvious evils existing today and to create an environment in which positive ideals of superb physical health will flourish."
It is Dr. Sundwall's belief that public health activities are taking a new direc tion. "Prior to the World War," he says, "our chief public health activities were confined to the control of environ ment, —to streets, to the homes of ani mals, to garbage, to roller towels, to water and milk supplies and to disease- carrying insects and animals. But we are beginning to appreciate more and more that it is the person, rather than things, that is to be feared in disease transmission; and 95% of our future health activities will be concerned direct ly with people. In dealing with the in dividual, two more or less separate yet closely related interests and activities must be kept in mind by all those con cerned with community health. The one is the promotion of health—the develop ment of a sound, healthy, active body and keeping it at its best. The other is the prevention of disease.
"The promotion of health is more or less a personal matter," in that the indi vidual must be taught to care for him- self.' "The prevention of communicable disease is a community affair," in that he must be taught to care about and for the health of others.
"Through investigation and research, through properly conducted work in physical education, through required hygiene instruction of the right sort, through the Health Service, the Medical School, the School of Dentistry, and the School of Education, the University of Michigan will educate a large group of citizens and train public welfare directors and workers, thus assuring for the future that health and vigor which is funda mental to the peace, happiness and con tentment of mankind."
"An important phase of this new development at the University of Michigan along the lines of health conservation is the re-organization and correlation of all activities which have for their object the physical welfare of the student. Hereafter this will be known as the De partment of Students' Physical Welfare, and it will include all intramural sports and games. Positive health will be the slogan of this department. Its aim will be to help each student entering the University to develop and maintain an active, healthy and efficient body, not only during the years spent at the University, but in later life as well.
"The Department of Student Physical Welfare hopes to interest every student in doing some form of regular daily exercise, and will make provisions for such exercise. Not only are we concerned in physical education and exercise as a health measure, but also for its educational and social quali ties. There is too much truth in the characteristic caricature of the average student—stoop-shouldered, hollow-chest ed, horn-bespectacled. His motions are as a rule sloven, the very antithesis of alertness, assertiveness and determina tion. He has lost all inspiration to the Greek ideal of physical beauty.
"The department will do all in its power to correct this condition. All are familiar with the splendid results of mili tary training in this respect. "He walks like a soldier" is decidedly a compliment ary comment. Why not develop a University of Michigan type of physique? Let the culmination of physical praise be, 'He has the bearing of a University of Michigan Student.' "
Dr. Sundwall hopes that, as time goes on, a scientific course in health promotion and disease prevention will be required of every college student. It will be the aim of his department to establish, in the professional schools, courses in hygiene and public health. The training of pub lic health directors will be an important feature of the department, and emphasis will be placed upon the training of workers in the various fields of public health work, such as infant welfare, school hygiene, social work, sanitation, laboratories, and educational health work. Short courses in hygiene and public health will be arranged as soon as pos sible, to meet the needs of heatlh officers. Finally, the department will co-operate with the School of Education in training teachers and supervisors of physical education or physical welfare for colleges, high schools or grade schools.
"An unusual opportunity for investiga tion and teaching of public health," says Dr. Sundwall, "is given the University by placing the Department of Hygiene and Public Health and the Department of Student Physical Welfare under one supervision. The latter offers excellent opportunities for the study and solution of community welfare problems. The University is therefore striving not only to give its students the best living condi tions possible and to help them develop sound and vigorous bodies, but through its activities along these lines it desires to be of incalculable benefit to the state in helping people to solve all the various problems which have for their object the betterment of mankind."