RT discussed in school lesson

Does anyone remember that fever, its way to take it and possible therapy was a topic in school?

If yes, in which grade and in which subject was the discussion?

Any probably funny memories on it, too?

Never brought up in a classroom for me. I imagine it was just one of those things they expected we'd figure out from experience over time. Kids get sick a lot so it's highly unlikely one would even get to Kindergarten without knowing what a fever is and what you do about it.

I remember 2 times:

The first was when I was around 10. Somehow the measuring method was brought up by the teacher. I don't remember in what lesson. She asked what method was used by each of us. I didn't dare to say rectal so I mentionted in the armpit. Unfortunately I can't remember how many others mentioned rectal. I'm sure that many had it done that way because it was common at that time in the Netherlands.

The second time was a few years later. During physics class. The teacher explained how a mercury thermometer works and mentioned that he was no fan of (at that time) the modern digital ones. The glass one worked still fine for him. After the lesson there was a talk with some class mates where the one that started the talk mentioned that he always measured rectally. This time I confirmed that I did this as well. We were around 15-16 at that time.

I don’t recall that in school, but as ranching kid I was no stranger to thermometers, used on my self or the animals. I do recall the local animal vet teaching how to use one to some 4H after school class.🌡️

It wasn’t in school and I can’t remember any reference in grammar or high school to rectal temperature taking.

But once I was looking for a book about baby sitters for a younger female relative.

Looking through it I saw it covered health and first aid.

I was really surprised to see that it mentioned the issue of needing to take a rectal temperature as a baby sitter.

For some reason I opted not to buy that book.

No recollections of a discussion of medical temperature taking methods in school. I think fever was explained in biology class, about how mammals have constant temperature while reptiles don't, but I don't think they discussed actual practical medical methods. I however have a very faint recollection that when we used a thermometer in physics class (recall this was before electronic temperature gear became widespread) some student jokingly alluded to rectal use. Recall that was in the days when many adults used rectal on themselves, probably most children there were used to the procedure.

Health class talked about fever temps and when you should call a doctor. Never mentioned how to take them. Ninth or eighth grade as I remember. I do recall the teacher, a grumpy old man who had cut off a couple fingers when he taught shop!

As i am able to recall, for sure it was never a point to discuss !! - long bygoney times !!

I remember two times. The first was in kindergarten when one of our classmates got sick and had to be taken to the nurse. We heard her crying and the teacher told us that was because she was having her temperature taken. Then the teacher mentioned that there were different ways to take temperatures. She told us it could be taken in the mouth, and she pointed to her mouth. Then she told us it could be taken under the arm, and she placed her hand under her arm. And lastly she said there was a third way, and kind of pointed behind her but didn't say anything else.

The second time was in highschool in German class. We were on the chapter on medicine and learning how to talk about taking temperature and the different methods. Rectal was mentioned and I remember one student said he couldn't understand how that could possibly work. Funny to me because I loved that method but would never have admitted it to my classmates.

I don't remember that exact topic being discussed in high school health class. Fevers were covered, as others have said, but the specifics of how to get the results were not.

I personally understood how it was done, having 3 younger siblings, but at that age it wasn't of much interest.

@MissStress I'm sure teachers and manuals have the common sense to avoid broaching topics that may induce laughter and jokes of dubious taste among teen boys.

@Jacana

Not necessarily. In a high school literature class we were studying “A Separate Peace” or maybe “Catcher in a the Rye” and there’s a passage in which one of the characters says he’s going outside to smoke a cigarette except he phrases it as “I’m going outside to suck on a fag”. Fag was a slang word for cigarette in the 1940s. I never laughed so hard in school when that was read aloud in class.

@DoctorJohnny2 Oh dear.

@DoctorJohnny2 I remember use of that word for cigarettes as well. Totally slipped from my vocabulary until you mentioned it.

I really cannot remember, or even conceive of anything as practical as taking a temperature being taught in school. My memories of school are of learning mostly useless information on subjects I would, in the main, never have any need for later in life. That and religious indoctrination.

I think it was instinctively understood by all that if you felt ill or sick you went to parents and they took it from there on. Kids weren't supposed to have much say in matters of sickness and health. All of that was best left to grown-ups.

@agracier

My experiences in a suburban American school system were similar to yours in Belgium, with the exception of the religious indoctrination. Kids never really talked about medical procedures and we certainly never received any instruction on giving medical care. Even in high school health class in the 80s, we were mostly told how not to get pregnant and how to avoid venereal diseases. They didn't even teach first aid, although we did learn CPR. In chemistry class however, we did tease cute girls with the huge lab thermometers, threatening to take their temperature!

As far as religious education in public schools, in first grade we said a class prayer before our lunch but religion disappeared in later grades, possibly because of court cases that barred religious instruction in public schools. It was probably just as well as the protestants, Catholics and non-religious would have at each other's throats.

My experiences in a suburban American school system were similar to yours in Belgium, with the exception of the religious indoctrination.

My religious indoctrination was in American schools actually, Catholic American schools, which were scholastic wastes of time.

In Belgium I went to a Jesuit high school and oddly enough, they didn't seem to give a whit about forcing religion down our throats or even teaching it. When we got classes on religion, it was usually more about the various schools of philosophy throughout history or what you'd call social studies.