RULES FOR HEALTH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 51, 16 March 1937, Page 12

RULES FOR HEALTH

Vitality the Secret of a Happy Life MANAWATU ADDRESS In the course of & £houghtful addreaa to the Manawatu branch of tho National Council of Women yesterday, Dr. K. Deon spoke on "National Health, " stressing the fact that a nation could not legislate for personal health, but it could legislate for education. At the outset Dr. De&n explained that the original definition of health was to be safe and sound. To-day health, in the minds of most people had that historic meaniug, simply freedom from disease. This was only a very mediocre description of health, which meant first absence from the sick room jor hospital ward. The speaker desired j to give a newer and more comprehen|sive definition. He wanted it to be regarded as that eondition of the individual that made possible the highest enjoyment, of life. Not just health for health 's sake, but the quality of life that rendered the individual fit to live most and to serve best. That was a broad definition which omitted nothing and did not include too much, but was as wide as life itself. This meant that we must work for health for a purpose in order to achieve something. Lack of Confidence in Self. Continuing, Dr. Dean asked what was the present state of health of the nation. The hospifcals were erowded, and had long waiting lists, while new plans were periodically being prepared to enlarge tbe existing institutions. This meant that costd were mountlng and an insidious feeling of a lack of confidence in our capacity to withstand disease or to be free from it was gaining steadily. To have one's appendix intact was becoming a rarity; dental caries was widespread, tnilk teeth of children did not last till six or seven years and many adults had artificiaJ teeth in the ea^ly twenties. Epidemics spread fhrough the country and took their toll and examinations disclosed an enormous number of Class m people. It had come to the attention of doctors that many young mothers could not nurse their babies for even six months. Nor was this the compiete list. The tragedy was that many were not really sick and not really healthy. They were poor in vitality and therefore prone to disease. The diseases of middle a'ge wero lying in wait for many young to•day because they were not developing to the full their physieal resources.. The doctor went on to speak of jthei development that had taken place in) the world of matter, but questlonedj whether this generation was as healthy j as the pioneers. One of ten heard women j say, "I don't know how they rearedi large fainilies, did all their own workj and launched their children into life?"' The truth seemed to be that personally we had not advanced much in our en-. .vironment — perhaps we had degenerated. All were born with a fair heredity?l Dr. Dean continued, and .to reach matur-' ity was a sign of good constitution. Hence it appeared that it was something we did or omitted to do ,thg.tj caused a loss of vitality and aHowed' us jto develop an environment that was prejudicial to ua, Our problem then, Dr. Dean considered, was how to maintain at its very best the constitutiou Iheredity had given us. Essentials of Personal Health. Dr. Dean then proceeded to deal with ithe essentials of personal health. All must be prepared to devote some part •of each day to the task of maintaining i vitality. This time must be as import:ant as time for meals and sleep and .dressing, and daily not spasmodically. Jt must be remembered that the sourcea ithat nouriahed the stream of life were not mysterious but belonged to everyone, and were briefly; — (a) Fre«h air and sunshine; (b) food of the proper kind and amount (as natural as possible); (c) wholesome exercise and recreation; (d) proper habits and posture. and care of the body, including clo.thing; (e) a proper attitude of mind to life. Wisely used these fhings would. develop and maintain that vitality; | which was personal health, the speaker | stressed. How it ia to be Accomplished, The next question was how to get these rules to the minds of the people to make them enthusiastic? This wasj not primanly the job of the doctors, the ; speaker said. Their job was to treat the sick. This job could only be dono, iin the fojlowing way: — (a) Reform of the Pure Food and Drugs Act; (b)' education by ,the Public Health Department in the Press and any other way the department could nse, the speaker enumerating much that had been done by legislation But stressing the fact that personal health must be by education; (c) education in schools. Speaking on the last point, the doctor said no matter how poorly parents worked for personal health they would all rise to the ideal of their children knowing more and getting more out of life. Children must be taught anatomy and physiology. They must know why milk was necessary. The objection to physiology was Victorian prudery which should be swept aside. Now was the time for personal health to achieve its vietories by education. Generally speaking the Plunket system was right but there should be an extension of that system, Dr. Dean said. These three methods . of education were practical steps in combating poor vitality, Dr. Dean said, and could be used to educate the nation to aim at a positive vital eondition of their bodies not just lack of disease. By these methods we should be able to briug to fruition the ideals of our youth — to faee cach day gladly feeling adequate for whatever eame; to slecp dreaxnless>y at night and to wake refreshed and readv for anything. You could not beat the game of life but there was enough in to test the Btrongest without . the

handicap of physieal weakness due to ignorance or carelessness. In conclusion, Dr. Dean made a strong plea on behalf of the children that they be taught anatomy, physiology and hygiene in the schools. There they would have the chance to avoid the mistakes of their elders. We. cannot legislate for personal health, but we can legislate for education, and that was the heartof the problem — the health of the country. % ■