CARE OF THE CHILD

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1925, Page 1

CARE OF THE CHILD

— PLEA EOR IMPROVED GENERAL ENVIRONMENT. WELLINGTON, February 5. The great importance of environment in bruisin'; about an improved status of the family forms an important part of the report of the committee of inquiry into mental defectives and sexual offenders. “The committee feels hound,” states the report, “to refer to the great strides made during the last half century towards establishing laws and theories of genetics and heredity. I’nfortunately terms such as ‘ The integrity of the germ plasm’ and ‘The Mendelian Law ’ while marking great advances in biological thought and science, have become too much associated in the public mind with the depressing and fatalistic notion that heredity determines everything, and that environment can play hut a very insignificant part in human evolution, development and progress, physical, mental or moral. Such, of course, is not ■ the ease. In ultimate origin all evolution and all heredity are the outcome of the summation and expression of the effects of environmental influences, acting on the whole organism under certain laws of transmission. Ihe laws of heredity, though as yet only partially determined, arc already sufficiently ascertained to*prove lor practical purposes-that irf.nrder to promote integration and further progress in human evolution, not disintegration and degeneration, two things are essential and complementary. On the one hand, we must do everything possible in the direction of improving the nutrition, health, environment and condition of life and habits of the community, and on the other hand we must promote and encourage parenthoot! on the part of the best and simplest stocks' and do everything in our power to discourage, or in extreme cases even to prevent, the proliferation of unfit and degenerate strains. “ We shall now revert for a moment to the environmental factor. The first, most pressing and immediate practical duty of the Government and the community is to spare no pains to improve the status and environment of the family, so as to promote the highest attainable standard of physical, mental and moral health for the new generation already in our midst or bound to arrive m the course of the next few years. It is hemming more and more widely recognised that, by due attention to pre-natal and postnatal care to mother and child, an infinity of good can ho done; indeed, a great deal is already under way in this direction throughout the Dominion. hut the committee is satisfied that much more might to he done to ensure for children of pre-school and school ages more generally lavourable home conditions, and healthier environment and habits outside tbe home. In the meantime it is obvious that very little can lie affected in the way of bettering average heredity, hut are we taking adequate measures in the direction of improving the environment 01 mother and child? The housing problem is still far from satisfactory. Help in Ihe home can scarcely he procured, and the rearing and care of children, throughout the pre-school and school periods in a large proportion of eases is neither conducive to a high standard of nutrition, growth and moral developnout nor to the establishment of noimal self-control, especially as regards ■sexual habits and manifestations. Ihe •onimitlee cannot ignore the fact that lower of self-control is at its highest ivhon the individual is physically acive, well nourished and with perfect lodily health, and that impaired eonrol always accompanies impaired mint,ion. debility and disease. In view if these considerations the committee eels compelled to relcr such serious landieaps to all-round health, control nd efficiency as the prevalence of vrong feeding habits, giving children nod between meals, the insufficiency of rosli fruit and vegetables in the daily 1 iot and tbe abuse of sweets. “ Other prominent and avoidable audicaps seriously affecting many cliil-i-on throughout the Dominion, which light to receive more serious attention re insufficiency of sunlight, fresh air, n the home and at school, insufficient aily outing and exercise, lack of adepiate provision in the way ol playgrounds and. swimming baths, and. last nit not least, the highly injurious pracice of frequenting picture shows.” The report of the Director of School fygiene is referred to as confirming Host of the faults and mistakes in en•i roll men t and up-bringing. The report also draws attention to ,he injurious effects of over-work and ixcessive competition, and tbe need for no re sleep and rest. “We would merely add to this statonont of unfortunate actualities and aiggestions as to remedial measutes. t adds, -‘that tbe encouragement of ■xeossive competition inside or outside ,1,0 school, for any purpose whatsoever, s costly and damaging to the whole bong, and that, in the opinion of the ■onimitlee, nothing needs to be iniiressed more strongly on parents and school teachers than Eroebels’ injuiioion, 1 Give space and time aiifl rest.’ ”