MEDICAL RESEARCH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 47, 24 January 1938, Page 4

MEDICAL RESEARCH

COUNCIL FOR DOMINION. DISTINGUISHED PERSONNEL. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Jan. 23. Hon. P. Fraser (Minister of Health) announced to-day that the Government had established a Medical Research Council and that this body had held its first meeting in Wellington in the middle of December. Mr Fraser indicated that the council consisted of two representatives of the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Otago (Professor Hercus and Dr. Muriel Bell), two representatives of the British Medical Association (Sir Donald McGavin and Dr. P. P. Lynch), two medical men chosen by the Government (Sir James Elliott and Dr. R. R. D. Milligan), and two departmental representatives (Dr. E. Marsden, secretary of the Department of Scientific and ‘industrial Research, and Dr. M. H. Watt, Director-General of Health, who ex-officio will act as chairman of the neiv body). The new body is closely related to the Board of Health, as it includes all the medical members of that body. It is also fortunate in so far as Sir James Elliott is president of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society and Sir Donald McGavin is secretary of the New Zealand branch of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, thus forming valuable links with those organisations and ensuring their close co-op-eration.

The Minister stated that functions of the council would be:

1. To correlate, as far as m.ay be practicable, medical research work in New Zealand.

2. To recommend what researches and investigations should be undertaken.

3. To appoint separate ad hoc committees to take charge of each investigation. 4. To recommend what amount of money should be allocated for medical research each year, and to suggest an apportionment of the amount to the separate investigations. In the past there had been more research carried out in New Zealand than was generally realised, sa.id Mr Fraser. Many of the activities had not been confined to the Government. It was, however, advisable that, to avoid overlapping and needless expense, some central body should be set up which would undertake the work of correlating the various existing researches and initiating and stimulating new work. Tho Minister stated that it would be for the council to formulate schemes for research and submit proposals for his consideration. He had assured the council that the Government was keenly interested in the subject and would bo prepared to assist to the utmost of its ability. At the council’s meeting special reference was made to the incidence of tuberculosis among the Maori people and, in view of the high death rate from this cause, it was advocated that special attention should be devoted to this subject, with a view, if possible, to lowering the mortality rate. Although the council’s first meeting was necessarily of a preliminary nature, n very definite start has been made, ano the reports which have been called for will necessitate the holding of a further meeting. , “It is the intention of the Government,’’ concluded the Minister, “to go as far as possible in the direction of making funds available for.the various researches which will be promoted .by the council. At the recent meeting the suggestion was made that possibly public-spirited citizens might be prepared to assist by benefactions and donations, and if any elect to adopt this course they can be assured that the money will be wisely and carefully expended.”