PUBLIC HEALTH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5446, 10 July 1929, Page 2

PUBLIC HEALTH.

A YEAR’S REVIEW. MEDICAL COMMENTS. The Director of Public Hygiene, Department of Health (Dr. T. McKibbin), in reply to inquiries, gave the Wellington Post an interesting statement in regard to health conditions in the Dominion during the past year. The hirths of 27,000 living children were registered during 1928, as against 27,681 in 1927. The number of deaths registered during 1928, as compared with 1927, shows an increase of 198. There was a reduction in the rate of still-births during the year. Principal Causes of Death.—The main causes of death in order of magnitude were as follows : Heart disease (all forms), 2315 ; cancer, 1374 ; chest diseases (pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, bronchitis), 1027; violence, 956 ; tuberculosis (all forms), 699 ; apoplexy or cerebral haemorrhage, 643 ; senility, 544 ; kidney or Bright’s disease, 455 ; disease, of the arteries, 394 ; diabetes, 167 ; diseases and accidents of child-birth (maternal mortality), 434 ; diarrhoea and enteritis, JlO ; appendicitis, 107; hernia an 4 intestinal obstruction, 100; epilepsy, 60. Common Infectious Diseases. —In. fluenza (all forms, including pneumonia), 242 ; diphtheria, 72 ; scarlet fever, 55 ; whooping cough, 26 ; typhoid fever, 16 ; measles, 12. 'lnfant Mortality.—lnfant deaths (under one year), all causes, 984. Preventive Measures. New Zealand has a . low general death rate —the lowest in the world — but its reduction has been far less rapid than that of the birth-rate. The ideal to strive for is that the local authorities and their medical officers of health should be aiding the medical practitioners in disease-preven-tion by measures intended to improve the environment of the general public. National insurance for sickness and invalidity is one method already in operation in England and throughout Europe, of partnership with general medical practitioners for the purpose of disease prevention, and I recommend advocacy of its adoption by New Zealand. Diseases of Later Life. Cancer.—The deaths numbered 1374. Dr. McKibbin comments : “We know not the cause of cancer. It is increasing in prevalence at a slow, not rapid, rate. Being a disease of late life, and having in the past often missed detection or registration, its apparent increase is in considerable measure accounted for by our longer span of life and greater skill in- diagnosis. The real increase is slight, and can be checked if advice and treatment are sought early in the disease. Recent results show that the proportion of actual cures from the treatment of early cancer is very high indeed. It has always been an important cause of death, but results show that nowadays submission to skilled treatment at an early stage is worth while. Particularly after the age of 35 we shpuld seek medical examination for any unusual condition which might be cancer.” Influenza and Pneumonia. Chest diseases (including pneumonia 422, pneumonia secondary to influenza, whooping cough, and measles 147, broncho-pneumonia 230, bronchitis 22). There is reason to believe, says Dr. McKibbin, that many of these deaths could he prevented. In some countries the experiment has been tried of making every pneumonia case compulsorily notifiable, and attempting isolation. Apparently the results achieved have not justified the expense and trouble thereby involved ; but the fact remains that probably a large proportion of these illnesses are infectious. The following-figures illustrate thata noteworthy feature during the prevalence of''influenza is that the death rate not bnly of pneumonic influenza but also of acute primary pneumonia and pneumonia (all forms) rises, showing infection which should respond to preventive effort. It is believed, too, that epidemic pneumonia occasionally occurs unassociated with influenza—--1927. —lnfluenza, 131 ; influenzal pneumonia, 43 ; pneumonia, 313; broncho-pneumonia, 207. 1928. —lnfluenza, 242 ; influenzal pneumonia, 1100; pneumonia, 422.; broncho-pneumonia, 230. Tuberculosis. Deaths in 1928 from tubeitulosis (all forms), 699, or 5.02 per 10,000 of mean population. New Zealand has the lowest deathrate from tuberculosis in the world. In common with that of many other countries, including Great Britain, it has steadily reduced in the last halfcentury. Late year’s rate was remarkably low, but this year’s is consistent with the general falling tendency. Tuberculosis, however, still takes fifth place as a cause of death in New z Zealand, and disables temporarily orpermanently many more than it killsScarlet Fever. This disease has been definitely epidemic for the last two years. Last year there were 55 deaths, and although there wcjfe 17 fewer deaths from scarlet fever than' from diphtheria over 6000 notifications of scarlet fever were received.