AMERICAN DOCTOR PRAISES N.Z. HEALTH

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 389, 25 June 1928, Page 14

AMERICAN DOCTOR PRAISES N.Z. HEALTH

“SETS WORLD STANDARD” (Special to THB SUN) WELLINGTON. Sunday. “The standard of health that has been set by New Zealand is one that ambitious health administrations in cities all over the world, particularly in America and in England, have endeavoured to rival and, if possible, to surpass, although they have not done so yet.” This is the opinion of Dr. Woods Hutchinson, one of the foremost authorities on public health in thg United States and the author of a number of standard medical works, who has been touring New Zealand. “I have known for many years,” continued Dr. Hutchinson, “of the splendid work you are doing in New Zealand in connection with certain phases of the public health. We have a saying in America, when anything is spoken of that seems almost too dramatic to be true, ‘in the movies they do it,’ and so, in relation to social welfare work and health work, we say. ‘in New Zealand they do it.’ “On© of the reasons for New Zealand’s prominence in that respect is that you have such a high and admirable type of health officer, that the aim appears to have been to get the best men and then give them as free a hand as possible; and the results that they have assisted to produce speak for themselves. Our greatest drawback in America is the deplorable uncertainty of tenure of office.” Dr. Hutchinson said he had visited a number of schools in the Dominion, and he spoke in terms of appreciation of the method of ventilation and of the control of the heating arrangements by the teachers. He also spoke most favourably of the work done at the dental clinics and of the training given to the school dental nurses.