GOITRE IN WAIKATO.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 September 1924, Page 4

GOITRE IN WAIKATO.

THK DEPARTMENT'S CAM PA MX. AUCKLAND, September 2. A medical examination of about .‘10(10 children in many provincial schools throughout the thermal district and central Waikato hits revealed the need for a wide practice of simple measures for the prevention of goitre. The percentage of goitrous conditions in children already examined is miieh too high to he accepted with characteristic public apathy. It averages 75 per cent.

At a comparatively small school at Lake Tattpo. the head waters of the Waikato, the proportion of goitrous children was 7(S per cent. Out ol forty-seven children examined hv the school medical nJltcer, fourteen had incipient go.lre, eighteen had small goitres, and four showed a mure than medium enlargement, of the thyroid gland. The Rotorua school gave a percentage of 7.‘t. Out of 121 children examined. Ml had incipient goitre. 111 had small goitres, ten medium 'iz.c goitres, and three very large goitres. " h is reported that in the thermal district goitr • is lairly prevalent among the adult population. many -Maoris being affected. In the Hamilton district an examination of ' * children in lour schools revealed that 7! per cent, had goitre in some lorm. hut mostly incipient, (Initious conditions are described as had in the districts ol Xgarunwnhia and Tnupiri. <>ut of thirty-one chihlren mcdictilly examined at the Kimiliia School, near ITuntly thirteen hail incipient goitre, while I eight had small ami six had medium size goitres. There was a cmisidcr--1 able variation of the prevalence .of ' goitre in other townships in the Waikato watershed and King Country. : Among children attending the Kutnitt School in the l hernial district beyond Rotorua, the proportion ol incipient ' and small goitres was only :)() per eenl. ! In the King Country the lowest, perI cent age of all, M per cent, was rtI corded at I’iopio. sixteen miles heyoml 'Te Kuiti. doit re is reported to he 1 prevalent to a innsideralile extent in and about Tauinaramii. Since the general medical acceptance of tlic belief that goitre is caused by ! deficiency i f iodine cither in the water I or in the soil, the specified preventive treatment is the administration of ! small doses of an approved iodine preIpa rat ion. It is quite harmless, the dose being extremely small and easy to swallow with water or iam. 'I he

dose consists of lull one grain of potassium iodine, made up in a lolly-like tablet. One grain is administered each week continuously for thirty weeks. Tablets in scaled bottles containing 11 Kill each are supplied free to schools by the Department of Health; that is the whole treatment required. It is as yet too early in New Zealand to obtain a detailed report as to the cliicat v of the treatment, the system has not been long enough in vogue; hul experience under careful and thorough supervision in Switzerland and the United Stales of America has shown that this preventive treatment is of great value in minimising the in-

ci(l<»nr<.» of •joilre. Nothing could he sunnier in the prevention of an epidemic disease, vet there is much parental objection In it. No pupil i' treated without the

consent in writing ol the parent or guardian, and for lb- purpose ol seeking such consent the Denali inr’il has is-oicd a special card which is printed a nlain explanation of the Department's aim. also a question ns to. whether or not a parent wishes his child to receive treatment, and a number of other ipleslioiis concerning the family history ill respect ol goitre, if all v : and the inline ol Ihe walei

■amply, w b.-lber hem ‘l" im'. , rm r H.-11. lain nr low n -M|i|d.\ . Some odd. and in a low eases miserable. objections are made to the campaign. In a certain sehn.il in the Waikato the head master obje.ls to

the introduction of preventive iodine treatment, oil the plea that ailte.iuisi lan,,n ~l about 2DII prepared labl.ls would add seriously In the work im|ioscil ilium Iho leaohers. As a mailer of I act several teachers in certain schools have goitre themselves, but do not know it. .Many leaohers, however are eager to io operate wilh the Department in improving the health ol the nation.

One parent wlm was informed his child had a small goitre relumed the iard Sicking his eimsenl In preventive trealmenl with a eiiri relusal, which was added a terse comment that • |,e Imil enough of such nonsense wliilin t lie New Zealand Expeditionary Koree.”

.Many parents simply ignore the departmental request. 'I here is no reason to anticipate, fortunately, that every ease of incipient goitre will develop into a disfiguring enlargement sill'll a> il.e typical “ derli.v-liire neck." 1 ,ii p ip is considered ren’.tirkithle that any parent, or teaelior should object to iissisting in an approved campaign of prevention. ___