MEDICALLY UNFIT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 73, 20 December 1918, Page 5

MEDICALLY UNFIT

THE MILITARY RETURNS SERIOUS POSITION REVEALED Facts that demand public attention, in relation to the health of the community, are revealed by returns of the work of tin; military medical boards during the war. The final figures have not yet been issued, but the annual report of the Defence Department contains a survey of tho First Division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve and Classes A and B of the Second Division. It shows that a surprisingly high percentage of the men of military age, that is, twenty years to forty-four years of age, are medically unlit. The report menlions«that out of 60,674 unmarried men examined by medical hoards, 38,726, or 57.9 per cent., were classed (,'2. permanently unfit for active service. The proportion of C 2 mon among the Class A reservists (married men without children) examined by the mediboards was about 68 per cent. These percentages may bo varied when the final figures are available for publication. Allowance has to be made, moreover, for the fact that many thousands of fit men went away as volunteers before the military medical boards began their work. Their departure increased the percentage of unfit men among those remaining in New Zealand. But'revision of tho figures will not alter the fust that more than half of Ne,w Zealand's men of military age—men in the prime of life—have been found to be medically unfit to carry a rifle in the service of their country. The doctor?, who sat on the medical boards are agreed that very many thousands of the men were found to be suffering from weaknesses that ought not to have existed, weaknesses due to ignorance, excesses of various kinds, lack of exercise, strain, had working conditions, and other causes that might be grouped under the headinz of ill-living. ■ The classification of »the causes that led to the rejection of tens of thousands «f men conveys little to the lay mind. But it is full of interest for the medical experts, and one of (he suggestions made by medical officers who have had the handling of the recruits, is th.it a small commission, composed .preferably of doctors with active; service experience, should examine the records and prepare a renort for the information of the Department of Public. Health. Such a report nrobably would indicate some of the leading cause!? of physjol weakness In the manhood of this country, and point to some of tho remedies that mieht be annlied. The commission would be able to take and place on record the nvidmic of medical officers who have examined thousands of men during the last four yours. The experience gained by t!in=e officers has been exceptional. Ordinarily ;i doctor is called upon to examine onlv the people who are sick or who think Iboy are sick. The military doctors have been examining men in the mass, and tiiey may claim fairly to have made a survey of the physical condition of the whole male community, since averages wm be based safely on the figmes that are available. Speaking to a Dominion- reporter on this subject, a medical officer of wide experience said that he was stroiwly of opinion that the Government ouch't to make some intelligent use of the disquieting information that had been acquired. The standard of physical fitness in New Zealand obviously, was too low. There must he reasons for the facts that, had been revealed, and those reasons ought to bo sought out and examined. "I. have, not any definite scheme to propound/' said tho doctor, "but I have an idea in my mind that it would be n very good thing for the country if the medical examination of voung men could be. continued, Perhaps "it is impossible to havo compulsory examinations after tho school days. But at least we should have a very thorough system of medical examinations in tho senior classes at tho schools, in the years when incipient defects could be detected and corrected. Tho examination in itself will not suffice. AVc must have the means provided of correcting the weaknesses that may be revealed. I "The people of New Zealand havo been shown tho valuo of physical training (luring the Inst four years.' They have seen thoir boys grow robust, 'hard and healthy after a few weeks or months in tho training camps, and I hopo that the mothers and the fathers-.havo learned a lesson /from what they have seen. I would like to see an attempt made to retain in tho servico of tho Stato some of the expert instructors who have, been 'making over' thousands of poorly, and partially developed lads during tho war period. Tho Education Department ought to bo ablo to uso some of thoso instructors. I suppose it would be. regarded as Utopian to talk of retaining the CI Camp as a branch of our 'public health service, but undoubtedly there are thousands of our young men who would 1m benefited, physic-ally and morally, by being put. through such a camp. The games that play an important part in the physical training in tho camps seem to be particularly suitable for introduction into tho schools under expert supervision." A commission would bo ablo to get much information from the figures without going be3 - ond the existing records. For instance, it woi[jd bo possible to classify the men according to occupations as well as according to physical condition. Light could be thrown upon the prevalence of certain disear.w or weaknesses •in particular industries or districts. There lifts been some, complaint on the part of the reservists that tho medical boards were under orders not to give reasons for rejections. But this rule did not operate strictly, and many men <;ot from tKo boards timely warn, ing of weaknesses that-they had neglected or not even suspected.' An apparent increase in the cases of consumption reported during the last year is attributed by the Health Department to the medical examination of so many men who under normal conditions would not have come into the hands of the doctors until the trouble had reached a more advanced stage. It might be possible to make some further use of the records on these lines. A. suggestion lia6 been made that reservists should, be supplied, on application, with tho details of their medical papers.