THE DOMINION’S HEALTH.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1930, Page 8

THE DOMINION’S HEALTH.

The New Zealand Health report is always interesting. This latest report for 1929 records a slightly higher ■death rate, but it still stands out as an advertisement for the Dominion, being only- 8.75 per 1000. The infantile death rate has dropped again—thanks to Plunket nurses and public interest—to *,*.10. It is unfortunate that this rate. is .not accompanied by our old normal birth rate, of 26 or so, but that is .now only 19.01 a , serious matter, from . every sane point of view. We need population, arid just now when local children are better cared for than ever before there are far too few benefiting by all that is being done for our natural successors. It is, to our way of thinking, disastrous that the Anglican clergy have set the seal of their church upon a form of race suicide. It may be that advanced civilisation has, weakened the courage of our womeny, that their liking for. social freedom, and the. earning and spending of money has a special appeal, or it. may be mere physical laziness which is . doing for us what Killingworth.did for its birds, and exactly as Killingworth lamented the absence of its birds so shall we inevitably regret, the. lowering of our birth rate. A home without children .is, no home, “the hen with one chick,” too, is : , anincomplete, mother, unduly, flustered and seldom at rest; her child lacks youthful, companionship, and grows up more or less peculiar and estranged from, his contemporaries. Jn the history of this country wages.were never so high, health was never so good, women were never.so well treatedas now, and yet they shirk an obvious duty, a duty which should he a pleasure and provide comfort for adyanc°d age. What object has a man in life if he has ino chi Id-to cany on his name and character? What comfort has'a woman if; no son or daughter exists to love and protect her. in later life? 1 Quite recently a, Dominion-wide public appeal for donations to establish a special teaching authority in obstetrics. produced £31,700, and a. high-ly-qualified professor is now being sought. If this great sum of money convinces possible mothers that maternity is not a peglected affair and that doctors and nurses throughout the country are to have a. professional searchlight continually upon them in this branch of their work, it will not have been given in vain. The reduction in the nymber of,maternal deaths may he due rather to the fact that there, are fewer births than that the mothers are more wisely treated; in any event the. puerperal deaths are but five in number less than the previous year. . With a lowering of the birth, rate we have an increase jn the number of stillbirths, the rate-per; live birth rising from 30.8 to 32.5 per 1000 (tlmso must not be added to infantile deaths). Venereal disease plays , a leading part in causation of stillbirths. Heart disease accounts for inore than 2500 of the 12,300 and odd deaths of- last. year, ,and this large number is probably increased by the. “heart failure” certificates which have always been papular with the medical profession. “Fits” caused death in. 680 cases--apoplexy and epilepsy 642 and 46 respectively. Chest diseases killed 1206—very many for a mild climate. In spite of modern treatment appendicitis was responsible for 100 deaths, and accidents etc,, nea’rly 1000, whilst influenza topped the infectious list with 297. One hundred and twenty-nine mothers lost their ilves—nearly half by puerperal fever. Auckland having a particularly bad record. in this respect. New Zealand comes thirteenth in the international list of puerperal deaths. Premature birth killed most of the children who died under-one month of age.

once most dreaded, has become a secondary anxiety amongst diseases, for it is now an infrequent cause of death, giving a death rate of 4:56 per 10,000. Cancer has jumped ahead to 10.43 per 10.000, but if liberal donations for cancer, research are of any use we shall soon see some hope of reducing this rate. There is no tooth census, but tee t’ extracted during the year would make a little Mount E'gmont, from vvl; the dentists tell me of the patients sent to them. by doctors for, a “clean sweep” operation. In a quiet eating house during the dinner hour it is possible to hear the rattle of dozens of lower dentures- lacking anchorage, which sound is wisely hidden by music in other places. It is ten years since school dental hygiene was commenced, and it is said that the coming generation will love nuts and hard crusts.