Description
Empty Beds: Indian Student Health at Sherman Institute, 1902-1922 explores the early era of change in Indian education ideology as it pertained to student health at Sherman Institute in Southern California between 1902 and 1922. Beginning with the establishment of Carlisle Indian School in 1879, non-reservation boarding schools earned a reputation for being physically unhealthy environments for Indian children. By the turn of the century, a growing recognition of the importance of student health in Indian education began to emerge throughout the country. Unlike other nonreservation boarding schools, Sherman Institute tried to contain the devastating effects of epidemic diseases, accidents, and illnesses that were common during the early decades of the twentieth century. Strict compliance with new Indian Office preventive health policies and the implementation of school-specific health practices resulted in a relatively healthy student population compared with other nonreservation schools. A title in the American Indian Studies Series from Michigan State University Press. Jean Keller is Adjunct Professor of American Indian Studies at Palomar College and serves on the Board of Directors for Sherman Indian Museum. This volume contains archival photographs, a bibliography, and an index.