Students’ health was a subject of discussion during the Congresses of Polish Physicians and Naturalists at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

Abstract

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, due to the disturbing results of medical tests, heated discussions on the protection of children's and youth's health flared up all over Europe. Assuming that the effects of pedagogical work are conditioned by good physical and mental health, people wondered how to provide children with optimal conditions for development and prevent diseases. In Poland, the forum for the exchange of views was, among others, the Congresses of Polish Physicians and Naturalists, of which 15 were organized in the years 1869-1937. The article analyzes the content of the papers presented during the congresses, concerning the health of students, in order to determine the topics covered in them. The analysis was made on the basis of the Reports and Journals from the individual Congresses. During the sessions, the most common topics discussed were the health of students, the results of medical tests were presented, the hygienic conditions in schools were discussed, and proposals for solutions to improve the existing situation were formulated. The congresses awakened public awareness of the need to protect students’ health and played a significant role in the development of educational thought and practice at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.