TAKING STOCK OF HEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1921, Page 4

TAKING STOCK OF HEALTH.

In the course of an interesting and in* structive address given at New Plymouth on Thursday last, Dr. W. E. Collins remarked:—“Most business men prepared a yearly balance sheet, but he wondered how many took a balance sheet of their health every year.” There is much food for reflection in this statement, as it affects not only the individual, but the whole nation. But for the War. and the need for the services of

the Dominion’s manhood, the deplorable state of affairs as regards the extent to which unfitness prevailed would never have been known. This served the purpose if a national health balancesheet, and the figures were such as to arouse much concern. When forty per cent, of our men under forty-five years of age were found unfit for military service, and from November, 1916, to Nov-' ember, 1918, out of 135,283 men, 46,888 were found unfit for active service, there must be something radically wrong as regards the health of the community, especially as fifty per cent, of the operations on women were due to preventable causes. The suggestion made by Dr. Collins that every member of the community should be examined by a doctor once a year is one that would prove very beneficial, but this overhaul would necessitate either a State medical service or an adequate subsidy, otherwise only the few would take this wise precau* tion. “Medicine,” said Dr. Collins, “has become an eminently social science, which should help ia framing our laws and our customs.” It is recognised that so far as health conditions are concerned, New Zealand has many advantages not to be found elsewhere, and should be the healthiest place in the Empire. The State has done, and is doing, much good work through its Health Department and expert medical officers, but that only touches the fringe of the subject. If the whole community is to become fit, the units must know how their health balance-sheet works out, and the only way in which this can be done is by the means pointed out by Dr. Collins. Far more attention is being given now to the care of the health of children and the prevention of the spread of disease, but it having .been proved beyond all doubt that systematic action is needed in order to prevent as well as to cure unfitness, there appears to be good reason for national action to this end. If this action is taken, and due provision made for special care in mat* ernity cases, there should speedily be an improvement in the general fitness of the people—the greatest asset a country can possess. Dr. Collins is deserving of great commendation for drawing attention to this important subject, and for his suggestions thereon.