RED CROSS WORK

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 169, 13 April 1921, Page 5

RED CROSS WORK

PEACE-TIME ACTIVITIES PLANS OUTLINED Yesterday evening an interesting lecture 5 was given in the Red Cross lecture room in Dixon Street by Dr. Collins, C.M.G., 'upon “The Peace Time Activities of the British lied Cross and Order of St. John." Air. T. Young occupied the chair, and Dr. Truby King was also on the platform. In opening his address. Dr. Collins quoted the words of Mr. Henry Davison, chairman of the League of Red Cross Societies, who had said in the course of an address at Geneva that when contemplating the demobilisation of ihe Red Cross "we were impressed with the fact that if our forces were to be scattered and our organisations reduced to a pre-war state of non-activity there would be lost to the world one of the few beneficient results of the war which might be preserved in the interests of mankind.” The League of Red Cross Societies was the outcome. The objects of the league were: (l),To encourage and promote in every country in the v arid the establishment and development of a duly authorised voluntary national'Red Cross organisation, having as purposes the improvement of health, the prevention of disease, and the mitigation of suffering throughout the world, and to secure the co-operation of such organisations for these purposes. (2) To promote the welfare of mankind by furnishing a medium for bringing within the reach of all the peoples the benefits to be derived from present known facts and new contributions to science and medical knowledge and their application. (3) To furnish a medium for co-ordinating relief work in case of great national or international calamities. The New Zealand Government had long recognised the fact that medicine has become an eminently edcial science which should help in forming our laws and customs, and it established the first Public Health Department; it had recently passed a useful Health Act. and it was taking steps to foster the health of. infants and diminish infantile mortality and to lessen' industrial diseases. It also provided for the medical inspection of schools. Its sanitary laws, if carried out, should have a. great effect in. the prevention of disease. A great deal could be done in the matter of furthering the health of the community if there were the necessary cooperation between the Red Cross and the Order of St. John, the Health Department, and various philanthropic institutions. The Wellington Centre was endeavouring to make a start in a small way. It was assisting the crippled children who are admitted into Trentham for treatment, by supplying a certain sum monthly for comforts, etc., for the little ones. The same was being done by the Red Cross and Order of St. John in Auckland, and for the crippled children in Rotorua. The Executive Committee of the Wellington Centre had approached the Wellington Division of the British Medical Association, which had consented to nominate certain of its members to give lectures during the winter months.

Dr. Collins stated that it was by educating the public, through tho individual, in health questions that the medical man could do much, and so carry on the fight against ignorance in regard to such matters. That was the great factor, which would place a nation in the foremost position among nations. The speaker did not think that the statistics of the mon of fighting age showed that there was such a great amount of individual health amongst the people; in fact, it was deplorable to think that 40 per cent, of our men under 45 years of age were unfit for military service. We had to realise the crippling effect upon a nation’s prosperity if a large number of its citizens were unfit to work efficiently on account of illness. Dr. Collins then displayed a map showing the way .in which the peace-time activities hope to be organised. Dr. Truby King said that Dr. Collins had quoted a statement that the primary function of the medical man was to cure disease. This statement had been the source of a discussion at tho conference he had attended at Cannes, when the various activities of the different sections xjf the league were being formulated. They had been placed in the following order:—The prevention of disease, tho promotion of health, and the mitigation of suffering. It had seemed to him, and he had stated his conviction at the time, that if we were effective in the promotion of health we would not 'have to do so much to prevent disease, or to mitigate suffering, and he considered that the second point should Replaced first. Humanity, through statistics, was at last beginning to realise tlffit not sufficient care had been taken of its unite. It was fitting that the Red Cross, which had been so beneticient during the war, should now devote j'ts attention to those who were wounded in times of peace, (.i.e., who were sick). He had been struck forcibly in connection with the advocacy of health matters by the fact that the subject seemed to hold no attraction to men. He was confident that it. would do so if it were properly pre.sen'ed. Dr. King moved that a very hea.rlv vote of thanks be passed to Dr. Collins for his interesting lecture. Surgeon-General M’Gavin, in seconding the motion, said he had been Very pleased to find that the Red Cross and other patriotic organisations, but particularly the Red Cross, still carried on their work with the same industry as they did during the war. The fears which had been entertained as to the war-weariness that the Red Cross and other bands ot workers were likely to suffer from, were now moribund. There could be no question as to the need of this work whf.ch was being initiated. During the war the proportion .of casualties due to disease among the men were much greater than those due to acts of the enemy. hey were always greater, and even tn civil conditions the “casualties” due. to sickness were very much the same as in war time. Referring to figures that had been mentioned as to the proportion ot unfit men rejected for military service. General M’Gavin said that- they had been taken from the time of the institution of the Military Service Act until the armistice, but it had to be remembered that, before the Afilitary Service Act was passed 50.000 fit men had left the coun j try. In any ease, however, the proportion was bad enough. Mr=. Luke and Miss Maclean, matron-in-chief of the N.Z.A.N.S., also spoke briefly, the latter expressing the great appreciation that was felt towards the Red Cross for its care of sick sisters in the' Convalescent Home at Belmont.