MALNUTRITION

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1926, Page 4

MALNUTRITION

AUCKLAND TESTS OF CHILDREN

AUCKLAND, Sept. 15. “Twenty per cent c,l the children in run:l districts are suffering from mair.r.trition. aim five ’per cent oi them me very Del,” said Dr A. Henderson, fjc’io .1 Medical Officer, at to-day’s meeting of the Auckland Education Board. .Mr T. T. Wells: Is the malnutrition line more to ignorance on the part of the pnrenls of proper food v.nl ites rather than to poverty? 1

would suggest it is? I>r flcntlerson': I believe that is so, but the, point will have to be carefully investigated. Air Wells: .Children are often given money by t ie parents and allowed to spend it as they wish. 1 hey can go and buy things that will do them

more harm than good. Mr A. Burrs (chairman): It i> mistaken kindness on the part, of the

parents. Mr Brownlee asked hew fawn children < -m pared with, those in the country in respect of nutrition. Dr Henderson replied that some of the town schools showed very much better results than country schools, but others again were just about as bad. H depended upon the locality oT the school. At Bemuera. Tor example. the condition of the children was excellent.

Mr Burns: Oh they have plenty of ice cream out there. (Laughter). Explaining the results oT past investigations T)r Henderson said that .seme of the best, nourished children were in towns snob as Hamilton, de Awaniulu and Cambridge. ITe proposed to the hoard that tests should be applied to discover the mental condition of country children by taking about fifteen schools in the mining areas, dairying districts and well-to- , do areas, with a view to discovering whether the mental condition of the children corresponded to the state ol nutrition. He thought some three hundred children'might be included in the tests, whic-li would bo carried our by teachers under his supervision. Mr Burns: Is the object to get a comparison between mental abilities and bodily nutrition of the children? The doctor explained that a fatigue test would enable school medical officers to determine wllat was the nervous condition of children in the schools investigated. “Would there be any good practical results from such tests?” inquired Mr IT. S. AY. King, who considered that fatigue tests should nlso he made in the large towns to find out whether children who sold sweets in theatres at night or srot up at 4 o’clock in the morning to distribute newspapers were suffering from fatigue just as much as those on dairy farms. He repeated his question whether any practical cotton would follow. Dr Henderson: It does not lie with the school medicil officers to provide a remedy. Our tests are intended In give information. I think tests would shew a definite amount of malnutrition and fatigue. Mr F. A. Snell asked that parents be notified directly of the results of examir,ations made bv medical officers in order that they might know of I the exact condition of their children. , The board approved of tests being I made.