In the United States, during the year 1924, more deaths between the ages of 10 and 14 were due to heart disease than to any other cause.1 The prevalence of cardiac disease has been generally increasing, so that it is now the principal cause of death. Hence, a survey of the heart conditions in a group of more than 10,000 children is worthy of consideration.
This report is based on the examination of all pupils in ten public schools of Philadelphia. The purpose of the survey was to investigate the incidence, the morbidity and the prophylaxis of organic heart disease in the children of these schools.
The procedure of this survey, as pursued to completion in each school, might be divided into four steps. Briefly stated, these steps were as follows: First, an examination was made of all the available children. This was followed by a reexamination of those