"HOSPITAL MINDED"

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 100, 24 August 1945, Page 4

"HOSPITAL MINDED"

Sir, —Mr Warren certainly put a very pertinent question to the Borough and County members on the rising number of hospitals. It is so important that a very seri-> ous answer is most necessary. The blame cannot be placed in one particular spot but should be distributed amongst many and Mi* perhaps as even cannot shed all claim to responsibility in our o\Vn physical welfare. First of all let me give a short quotation from a Gisborne doctor on hospital affairs, "People who worry about the cost of hospital maintenance and that of building new wings on existing hospitals to accommodate the growing number of patients are worrying too soon; in another 10 or Lo years they will have something real to worry about." This is no tinder as the present trend certainly justifies the statement. We now look for the

causes* The Avar of 1914/18 with its higl?casualty list must certainly .have its repercussions on those in their more mature years. This was followed in Kti by a slump with its lack of purchasing power to the workers and in consequence a large reduction in the foods most neces- t sary to a healthy body. Clothing and shelter was also inadequate. The latter coupled with the former are almost all the conditions necessary to produce art unhealthy body - Similar but more aggravated conditions followed in 1930, only 9 years after a basis of ill-health had alreadybeen founded. Now we have the present war casualties on top of all this. Can it be expected that a 10ft per cent, healthy race can grow from all this ? Let us now come to private enterprise. Yes! they have also to'take their share as tliey are. quite prepared to sell for profit almost anything that the public are prepared to buy irrespective of its food value. Many cases are known where foot! has been: deliberately poluted. I have read recently of tests taken on cocoa in America, 40 samples were tested all of which contained lead.

This does not mean that all private enterprise is so labelled it is not.

Now we come to governments. In the past we have had Conservative Governments who have proved themselves totally unable to provide sufficient work housing and food for the people. They also are to blame in no small measure for the inevitable. they failed and have been put to one side ( as other countries- are now doing today. Last, but not least, is the in* dividual him or herself who is not inquisitive enough to find which are the foods and in what mixtures and quantities tbay are essential to good health. Make no mistake about it I ? to a am one of the latter. "We only are because of what we eat" seems to contain more than an atom of truth,. We live in the shadow of the past. Yours etc., J. DITCHFIELD.