The Daily News. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1920. CONSERVING PUBLIC HEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1920. CONSERVING PUBLIC HEALTH.

Suffering humanity owes a great debt to those members of the medical profession who are in the forefront of that tireless band of fighters against disease and msanitaition. The periodical gathering together of medical scienin conference to discuss matters connected with disease, its causation and remedies, are of the utnuost importance, not only to doctors, but to the community. In selecting as the main subject for his opening address at the Medical Congress at Brisbane the necessity for concerted action in the, direction of conserving public health, Dr. J. T. Wilson was able to cover a large field of operations, for public health is the greatest factor in national progress and welfare. It was not until men were required for the strenuous work of the war that it was realised how extensive an inroad physical defects had made in the manhood of the nations. Out of a total of 135,282 men medically examined in New Zealand, no less than 77,900 had to be rejected. If nearly one-half of the nation's young manhood were put aside as unfit, what can be the state of affairs as regards the community as a whole? As many of the rejections were due to causes that could have been prevented had they been taken in time, it appears as if lamentable ignorance or culpable negligence was rife as regard the public health. It has been ascertained that fully one-half of the school children are in need of dental or medical attention. Of 11,000 male civil servants 2800 had 49,000 days' sick leave during twelve months, while out of 2000 females H had sick leave for 1700 days during the same period. These figures show the greatness of the economic loss caused to the country, but they by no means indicate the, enormous extent to which sickness and disease have been preying on the community. Dr. "Wilson stressed the fact that it was to preventive medicine people looked to save them from disease; to prevent infantile mortality and overcrowding, thereby lessening the incidence of tuberculosis amd other diseases due to unhygienic conditions. On this matter he asserted that the profession would speak with a voice of thunder, so as to shake the supineness of the Government and the carelessness of the people. When addressing the National Defence Dr. J. S. Elliott

claimed that if anything valuable was to be done towards making the unfits fit by training on progressive lines, they must follow up what was now being done in the primary schools through the age of adolescence, which involved special dangers—notably the contracting of tuberculosis. Obviously, if a reasonable measure of success is to be obtained, there must be a complete national organisation. This view is evidently supported by Dr. Wilson, who strongly advocated the nationalisation of the profession, which he considered would be quite practicable if newly qualified practitioners began with £SOO per annum, received automatic increases evere two or three years, and worked only eight' hours daily. With very few exceptions medical men are keen in their desire to study the various problems of disease, and in endeavoring t<? discover preventives as well as remedies, but few have the recinieite leisure to do more than keep themselves abreast of the latest discoveries and theories. If a fair proportion of members of the profession were only engaged on work entailing a limited period per day, the way would be open for research and experimental work that should prove a great boon to suffering humanity, and a marked improvement might confidently be anticipated in the physical, mental and moral con* dition of the people. At the same time the important work of giving the unfit a chance to become fit could be carried on. The initial work is that dealing with the problems of maternity and infant life. That is already receiving attention, though no comprehensive organisation exists on a national basis, and, until this is provided, the whole scheme of public health has no proper foundation. In the reconstruction of the Public Health Department, already foreshadowed, the aim should be in the direction of preventive medicine, by providing tiie machinery «>_ deal with 'national health on modern lines. The expense may be considerable, but it is fully justified. The future of the country depends on the conservation of national health. The general principles for this work are well known; all that is needed is to put them into practice systematically, thoroughly and persistently.