THE FIT AND THE UNFIT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 95, 16 January 1919, Page 6

THE FIT AND THE UNFIT

, IMPORTANT RECRUITING I : .r..\M ; STATISTICS ' i.- -,£;'';;■•■ V;-. -..i.. ■..._, '' ■.' I that.should be used ;' '" ...The;'--Recruiting Branch of the Dejl fence Department, under the Director [i'' ■'■ •■" ot Becruiting, was brought into. exist- !■;'■■ ""erice.for war'purposes, and its task ;■'■} , i;/praoticairy'''ended, ■ as faij as the -Deri partment was concerned, when- the fj signing of the armistice made unnecesjj'; . sary the mobilisation, of further drafts £V ;■■■ in' New Zealand. The branch is now ft; . 'completing its records and preparing I':"" .its final returns', preparatory to clostV'■;■;. -ing. Already its-staff'has been greatly. | : •'■■- ■ reduced, and when the last file haa i "■■:."■ been checked and tabulated most of h .the remaining members will be disj .. ... persed. A few will be.re-absorbed in i< the. Defence Department. |. ;,.'■■-. It is highly desirable rhnfc the mass ' of valuable information the Recruiting I ... Branch 1 has accumulated should he j .- : ' fully classified and prepared for examj■'.' , ination. This point was emphasised 1.. ..in'an article published some weeks [ , agflj' and it is -given' added force by nn [•. i '' examination of the recruiting statistics, i. . ■ which aro now approaching'their final ] - /...form. , Something like 250,000 files, '•'•'■ each representing a soldier or a ie- ? -. servist, nre in the possession of tho ! . branch, and from those files it would. j'< 'be possible to extract information and i .deductions of the highest importance ?■: ■ ■to the community. The war has re-' j '-pvealed the fact that' a surprisingly '' ' large proportion of;the men of military, !•"'■• agein this country are suffering from i ■_• ■ physical disabilities and weaknesses of [ various kinds. The health of the male i '..-,■ population is not nearly ss good as it | :".'■■■■ -should be, and the conditions that I have been exposed demand attention. i' The recruiting files present the facts j; in detail and provide a basis upon : ■ .which reform can-be planned. ; :■!•"';; Approximately half of the men drawn •.••'■', military service ballots were \ '■•' ■ •■.classed C 2, unfit for;service, by the {•"•.■ .■.medical.boards. A complete examinar' .'\tioh of the.recruiting files would show ',:' V /why those men, were rejected. The rjt] .' ,: |staff; tha'6 has handled these files could ■V-;prepare returns' classifying ■'.he men :'', : -.-according; to ( the nature of their dis- ;•/■ ability, district of residence, occupai'/; ,tion, marital condition, place of birth ► '•;-. and age. Its'figures woald be likely i'.. : :'to'.th'i:ow'some light upon .the, marked VV'V".prevalence of heart weakness, varico- [:. , cele, and:goitre in New Zealand.. The |- : '.';'' number of men examined by'the miliar/- .tary doctors'during the war has been l .v : .;.eo ; 'large that the returns can be ac- £•'.:' cepted confidently as indicating ■ the h.-: physical condition of the. whole male f- :: '.. population. The.figures would' indicate j- ;any relation that may <-.xist between '~, certain diseases' and certain localities (: ',-or • occupations. They would , suggest £■"•; ■■'•■'■■-lines-of activity to'tha Health Depart- !"' mentand to the'officers'entrusted with ;' . ;'the duty of., watching -the' .health of ( school children..; . .'.; ' ji ■'.-' In illustration.of tlie interesting in-. I , contained in the recruiting I s '.'. 'returns, a comparison of i.he groups of 'r!A- married men dealt with under the V r'Military Sorvice ■ Act. may be quoted.. '-•■'■'" ...Three, classes, of married men' were ( . ' called'.-for service and'.put. through the ! '.' .hands:of"".the. , -.medinal .officers." They i - wore not quite all'examined, because ;; boards rere still at work and i'';.' '■'some appeals were still pending when > V.''the armistice, was signed. But tho ,' figures are . sufficiently, complete to r ?"'■ . ' show , that the percentage of unfitness }'"'., Vas substantially higher among the i : cliildless married.men than among the I''lathers, and- that the-.men with .twoi ■.-'children were healthier as a.body than. \ '■•'■'■•■'.• the' men' with one ohill eacli. The pe'r- '; . :. ! centage of C 2 men among the -Second \. . Division .resen-ists medically examined i -.-'.■'■ was 75.21 in Class'A (no children), !■'■'■ -68.57 in Class'B (one child), and 63,6-1 [ ''-in Class C (two children). The figures •'■■ form "an on !-:' the popular belief regarding tho "fer■•■Y tility of the unfit!" ','■'. -If the value of the figures is to be j. ■■■:.'-■' fullyideveloped, the Eecruiting Branch '.'.■'■"' must give them their final form, by ;: '. '. .'tracing every soldier throughout his '- v !military career. The information is '•■■' ■ all to be found in the files. The figures i jiist quoted,-.for,'example, show the ;•■'■'.. medioal'status of the men after their ;'■-, original medical examinations. But the i- /', "proportion of rejections' would be in- ,',' c 'creased if consideration were given to i „.the- apparently'fit .men who were sent ■' J.into camp and there classed C 2 on ac- (■ '"'■: cpuiit| of-disahilities -not pr jviously dis- !*• i ■covered.'' : Some men- , broke down after iV' , ". leaving New Zealand, and they ought \0 ■ to be counted among the unfit in the • .'■■ final survey in order to # learn just \:' .where New Zealand stands in tho mat- ':'.- ter of public health. ■ ■'. '.. . ' An aspect of the ret.irns that must )-'-.'h interest the piiblic health authorities '; . ,is the opportunity they, offer of check'r,--' 'ing 1 disease at its .source.' The secrets '■-■■'■■' ,of r the: doctor's, consulting-room are, \: regarded as inviolable, and for that f". v'-reason4t.has always,been difDcult for [.- '..health,, officers'to get statistics that J.-. , . A.could be relied upon as to the prevaf.-,,'. lehce. of particular disorders. ,There ;' ' '■■; -is not going to be any hreach of con- !.'.' ./■■ fidence as far as the military medical I - : hoards are concerned, but there.is no- [;■ -'thing to prevent the proper authorities v ,■ Jexamining the records in detail. The ;' "'-suggestion has been made that advice C 'as to treatment; should be giveji priS'■ ' ■ '.to . men' whoso inadical historyi,- "sheets show tluit they are in need cf '■■■'.'. ■ Some of the i;ien are suf- '• ' ' fering from .infectious, diseases and ■ : : they may have no idea, of its seriousW ness, sinie it has not been the practice '•'■■■ of the medical boards to give any iu- : foT-niatfion 'to reservists (who passed ■ their hands 'Die Health Dei. . pnrtment. could put itseif into touch • ;with ■ these men without any breach of i confidence. ■ ;' ' Some of the suggestions that have i hcen made for the use of this unique j' recruiting record will be discussed in I / a later article. It is urged that the j. Eecruiting Branch ought to be retained I .in. operation until it has completed I , the analysis of the recruiting files, not ! merely from a Defence point of view, j but from the standpoint of public ('.'".'■'.''health'.' The document! are not to be ■J destroyed in any case, but if they aro ; packed away and the expert staff that i has handled them is dispersed, the diffi- ■ : culfcy of getting the-information that I is within reach will be increased great- :''■ ly. A complete analysis of the files ;■ will be a matter, probably, of merely I a . few weeks' workj and it -could be '. undertaken conveniently while tho ; necessaiy clerical organisation is still '; ' in , existence.