FIT AND UNFIT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 205, 18 May 1918, Page 8

FIT AND UNFIT

MARRIED MEN CALLED IN THE

BALLOTS

WHAT THE DOCTORS SEE

During recent weeks tho balloted men of Class B have been undergoing medical examination. These are the married men with ono child each. They' must, have been married before May, 1915, or they would, be members of tho First Division, and they include a substantial proportion of men who were married five, ten, or even more years ago, for the "one child" habit has been a factor in keeping down tho New Zealand birth-rate for a generation past. The medical officers, therefore, have had before them married men of all ages up to 44 years, and of all conditions, physical and social.

A Dominion reporter asked a medical officer if there were any conclusions to be drawn from tho results of tho examinations. The doctor replied that the physical standard, speaking generally, had been quite as high as ho expected. The percentage of fit men, in the military sense, had been lower than in the case of the First Division, but that had been anticipated, since the age factor was against many of tho married reservists. The percentage was not unsatisfactory, despite the fact that the examination was stringent. "It is noticeable," added t.hb medical officer, "that iru;ny of the marrieu men have let themselves 'run to seed.' That is a regrettable fact, and it is not creditable to the men. A. man does not preserve the elasticity and vigour of youth, in ordinary cases, after he has passed his thirtieth year. But there is no Teasou why he should become flabby and shortwinded. The man under forty who finds that he cannot do a short sprint after a tram without distressing himself ought to realise that he is not treating his body properly. We have seen far too many neglected bodies.

"Then wo have been able to trace the work of the cigarette. I do not mean to suggest that the cigarette is an entirely evil thing. But used in excess it is bud for tho heart and bad for the lungs. The rccruit who is discovered to have an uncertain heart has very often to confess that he is a heavy smoker of cigarettes. How many? I am not going to attempt to define ft safe limit for the cigarette smoker, I think most men know how far they qan go without spoiling their wind and doing themselves other damage. If t.liey don't they must bo careless and unobservant.

"It has been noticeable in all classes of the reserve that some of the best men have to bo rejected on account of on injury sustained at some time of life in sport. A yomiKsto strains an ankle or a kneo, and thinks litele about it. But the resulting weakness may find him out in later years, and may constitute ail.absolute disqualification for military service by the-time he lias passed his thirty-fifth year. There is no special significance about that year, although it happens to be the halfway stage to the Biblical three score years' and ten. The old 'sports' are usually anxious to do their bit in the Army, and they make light of weaknesses that are not readily apparent at the time of medical examination. But these things tend to find a man out in training. "A man wo ought never to encounter, but whom we do meet fairly often, even in this young country, is the fellow who is simply flabby. He has never played games, never taken part in athletics, never swum hard or walked hard. He does not keep a garden, and lie goes to work and returns on the tram. There may bo nothing materially wrong with him constitutionally, but he is a hopeless specimen from (lie recruiting point of view, because his muscles are degenerate and his whole physical organisation has become incapable of responding H. it strain. Ho might be made fit if the training authorities cnuld spend n couple of years on tho job. He might have been saved from his humiliating condition if he had heeii mads to play games when he' was a schoolboy. I hope we arc not producing that typo in tho schools now."