MEDICINE IN RELATION TO DISEASE.

Shannon News, 18 December 1925, Page 2

MEDICINE IN RELATION TO DISEASE.

PREVENTION KA.THU9R THAN. CORRECTION. "Surgery'' is an art-that seems to have reached perfection," said a doc-' tor recently returned from England, to a "Ghivnicle" reporter. This remark was, however, qualified. by the. statement that major operations are now performed with a far greater margin of certainty and efficacy than existed hitherto, largely On account of a, higher-developed technique in this, connection. £ar greater strides have been made in the 'direction of what might be termed "preventive medicine." Particularly noticeable has been the imiprovemenit in ante-natal treatment lor mother and child. Hitherto the question had been' somewhat neglected, particularly in the necessity for suitable diet.

At the present time ante-natal clinics are in evidence throughout Great '•Britain, and are doing splendid work, more especially 'amongst the ; poorer classes. The task of educating the public mind as to the many desirable features offered by these clinics, and to impress, the mothers that ■enlightenment is the road to health* not only for themselves, but also for' the child-to-be, has been by no ; means, a sinecure.

As a result of expectant mothers attending these ante-natal clinics a number of the more serious complications' that arise during child-birth have' been avoided. As a matter Of lact, a good many of the complications which sometimes follow in the wake of childbirth could be .eliiiiiinated if only the clinic or' doctor" had been consulted at an earlier'period. Similarly, there was now: far more enlightenment on the subject of moderation in/diet, and mothers' of today were aware of the. necessity tor meat playing 1 a small part in the (food 'they ate during the waiting period. -.■•'..' Collaborating with these clinics, are the child-welfare movements operating in the various centres' throughout "the country, in charge of a woman doctor whose studies have heen focussed particularly on this branch of the public health problem. The mothers- are given every encouragement hot attend regularly alt the welfare, 'bases foul advice that will enable, them to rear itheir children in the most healthful and therefore, the most satisfactory way. The scheme is practically parallel with, ,the Plunket-Society in'New Zealand,* which, instead of trying to cure a trouble aims at its prevention. Possibly, one of the biggest ad- -. malices in preventive medicine has oeen instituted by Sir James Mackenzie, who., died, early in the year, .-le was recognised as the foremost heart specialist of the present- era 1 , and revolutionised the idea of heart diseases. An institute of clinical research was inaugurated by him at, St. Andrew's, Scotland, whereby he evolved an entirely new departure of /

diagnosis and disestablished all .pre-, conceived ideas. By his -observations he was able to focus the- attention ol the medical faculty on to. the more simple ailments—the' urgent need for discovering the foundations of the more coimmon hutodies—which could only be accomplished by a lifestudy of the patients. His idea seemed to be that professors and scientists, instead of devoting their whole efforts to the eradication of the more complex diseases,' might .concentrate their attention on the simple, common ailments that are dealt -with in the' oUt-patieut department of a hospital. In other words to study the all-, important question of preventive medicine.

ARTIFICIAL SUNLIGHT. In debilitated cases and invalids, particularly among children, .costly electrical plants producing artificial sunlight are eiuployell lor the treatment of tubercular bones, rickets, etci As an illustration ojf the very definite steps that have been-taken in this direction, a plant will probably be installed in the monkey house at the London Zoo to combat the ..ailments common to monkeys as the result of their being kept in close confinement. This may shed vaiuialhle light on similar disorders that are so prevalent among children reared under the artificial conditions prevailing in the poorer districts of the larger cities. Again, tliis treatment is but an offshoot of preventiveness, rather > tihau one of correction, as has existed, hitherto. ,