Reflecting on Obstacles and Solutions to Improve Health and Hygiene in Primary Schools from 1925 to 1941 A Case Study: Exposure to Trachoma Disease

Abstract

The transformation of the public and individual health system from 1925 to 1941 was known as one of the pillars of the development and acceleration of the modernization process in Iran. Despite this expansion, public health and collective health, especially in schools, found a close connection with the underdevelopment of the country. Trachoma disease was one of the most common and contagious diseases among elementary school students, and the government tried to take some measures to deal with it, such as spreading public awareness, creating a skilled workforce through the training of teachers and school staff, and applying comprehensive monitoring of students’ health in the family and school. Despite these measures, there were challenges, such as a lack of medicine, a lack of skilled workforce, and financial problems that negatively affected the quality of the government’s actions. This research raises the central question: How did trachoma disease in schools become a serious issue for the government? The hypothesis is that although the government succeeded in dealing with Trachoma in primary schools, this process was gradual, slow, and temporary due to the underdevelopment of the country’s infrastructure.

Keywords

• reza shah government
• schools
• health
• trachoma
• disease