NEED FOR FOCUS ON HEALTH

Chronicle (Levin), 21 November 1946, Page 10

NEED FOR FOCUS ON HEALTH

—Press Association

TOO MUCH TALK OF SICKNESSSAYS DOCTOR

Bv Teleciravh-

WELLINGTON, Nov. 20. " I f 1 were cm the hastings today I '1 have ;m additional benelit to monl i o ii. J ' said Dr. ileleii Deem, medieal adviser to the l'lunket Society, at this morning's session of the Doniinion eoni'erenre in Wellington. "The family Ijeneiit J think is a womlerful tliing. Jt is going to be \ erv interesting to see if it is goiug to inerease Ihe birtli-nite. .It nmst be diiiicult for electioneers to think of additional things to oll'er, " said Dr. Deem, amid laugliter. " but I would have another. I would certainJy niake it my business ahj myJaim in the House to introduce a health benelit — iiot a disease benelit — for wliich auybodv could apply who could present a eJean bill of health every Jiiianeial vear iiefore the budgeling is doue." Speaking on th.e educational aspect of iior report to tho Doniinion council of the Plimket Society, Dr. Deem said: ' ' Tiicrv is too much talk about sickness. It is terribly bad psychology. We read too much about money spent and extensions to hospitals, and talk far too much among ourselves about ailmeuts. We should work towards focusing the spotlight on health instead of or disease. ' '

It was salutarv to reeord that rere nt ly health teaching liad been ineorjiorated in the training of medieal students. The British. Hinistry of Health liad set up a conmiittee to go into Ihe cjuestion, and J)r. Deem said she felt she must pay a tribute to Dr. ITercus, I)ean of the Otago Medieal School, wlio sonie years ago had instituted a health elinic. for medieal students. Now groups of Jifth-year medieal students attended the main citv elinic oTiee a vveek. The sessions afforded the students ari opporlunjty of examining healtli.y infants in order to nssess their nutrition and variations in growfh. They lieard the mothers problems and noted the methods of educating mothers, by poster or demonstration, of the proteetion of small children. Last venr rnany precious lives were lost th rough accidents, stated Dr. Deem 's report. Tventv-three children in the 1-5 vear age group were drowned, 1 M babies were clioked fatally th rough putting foreign bodies in their mouths, and 16 deaths were nttrlbuted to suffocation. Speaking of ' the education of parents, T)r. Deem said, "So manv inirents know what should be done,. but they are not absolutely eonvinced of the roal necessity of doing things ln the prescribed way. "There is still talk and there will be talk of children really suifering from nialnutrition, " said Dr. Deem. There were inany whose nutrition would be mueh better than it was if t'hey were onlv giyen the opportunity of knowing and following tlxe right mode of Jivjng..