The Global. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1420, 3 September 1878, Page 2

The Global. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.

We had no idea that tho people of New Zealand wore liable to so great a proportion of “ all tho ills that llcsh is heir to,” until certain professionals high in medical knowledge told us that such was tho case. For many years past scientific enthusiasts predicted that, owing to tho deficiency of calcareous elements in tho water which is generally consumed in various parts of the colony, tho native born youth would bo deficient in bone, would find his system weakened by the want of that all-powerful agent in strengthening tho human frame, and in fact, play “ second fiddle” to neighboring communities where phosphates of limo entered more widely into tho daily articles of food. It is indeed not very many months ago that at a meeting of tho Philosophical Institute at Wellington a gentleman from foreign parts, possessed of numerous scientific handles to his name, electrified a wellpacked and select audience by the learned deductions on that all-important subject which he placed before his awe-struck listeners. Then tho public mind rocivod another shock from demonstrations urged to have been proved by travelling quidnuncs said to bo scientifically versed in the art of healing the diseases of tho ear. One or two of those much-travelled professors appealed —or endeavoured to do so —to the common-sense of tho colonial public as to whether tho young generation under its paternal or maternal wing was not speedily descending into a perfect abyss where tho word sound could never ho perfectly comprehended. Wo are not prepared to say that those so-called scientific evolutions were the outcome of the brains of men bent upon extracting as much of tho almighty dollar as Now Zealanders’ pockets would yield. Far from it. Doubtless tho common-souse of the greatest number is generally a shield 'with which any attempt at hoodwinking the masses will he, in the long run, foiled. And furthermore, tho laws of tho laud in which wo live are practically sufficient to prevent any successful inroad upon the credulity of oven tho humblest social unit which designing quacks might think worth their while to assail. Lately, however, some considerable sensation —and lot us say commotion —was produced in the North by a certain Dr. Schwarzbach, a Gorman oculist whom the Government, for some two years past, has taken in hand and patronised as a veritable veil'd avis in the branch of tho medical profession, especially affected by him. Various Boards of Education made much of that learned gentleman. Ho was fathered by the local authorities both in Nelson and in Wellington, and during the last few w eoks Ids enunciations in tho Auckland provincial district have been officially received as scientific gospel. We are not prepared in any -way tn throw doubts, or oven to cast any invidious reflections upon Dr. Scliwarzbach’s »erits, professional or otherwise, but wo w m!4 simply refer to hia, go-named discoveries & relation to what may bo termed a singularly .strange effect of tho climatic or other influences of this healthy homo of ours, if it ho taken for granted that dependence can be placed upon his “ horosecpic deductions of the facts which ho says sjflio before him. When lately reporting npmi the condition of the Auckland schools in respect of short-sightedness and other weaknesses of tho eye, he informed the Auckland Board of Education that out of 1033 children belonging to tho public schools which lie bad examined, lie found no loss than i 3 case of shortsightedness, or over seven pox’ cent, of tho number. Among 436 there wore 33 cases, and among 507 hoys there wore 40 cases. But this result, according to tho Doctor’s report, was much more favorable than that attained iu tho southernmost parts of tho colony. For instance his records of tho “ ocular defects iu tho Nelson public schools were less gratifying. At tho Nelson College lie has ascertained that a far higher percentage of short-sightedness obtained, being in fact no less than twelve per cent, among the boys. And tabulating Ids remarks, previous to leaving Auckland for Europe in a finishing-stroke kind of way, Dr. Schwarzbach referred to tho fact that when iu Sydney lie had made similar investigations at tho request of tho education authorities, and found only an average of ten per cent, of near-sight amongst public school children. Again he added, as a means of comparison, tho por-coutago in Germany was no loss than thirty, while in England he had estimated it at under eighteen. To excessive studying among tho Gorman schools and colleges tho Doctor attributed this comparatively speaking enormous difference between his Fatherland and British communities, and of course tho experience of years—or their tradition—-

has taught us that such is the case. Without a doubt the ‘‘ sin” of shortsightedness lias spread very considerably during the last half century. Dr. Schwarzback, before leaving Auckland, strongly admonished the school authorities and the Board of Education to devise uniform means for the proper lighting of schools, and wo have no doubt but that ho is to a certain extent correct in his admonition on the matter. Baton the subject of “ those ills to which the eye, ear, and ossiferous system may bo heir to,” wo feel quite convinced that the denizens of these favored islands —what has been called the “ Britain of the South” —may rest at ease and bo peacefully thankful that neither social habits nor want of natural ad vantages has thrown them behind their friends in the Northern hemisphere.