HEALTH OF CHILDREN.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1921, Page 6

HEALTH OF CHILDREN.

HOW TO IMPROVE IT. LECTURE BY DR. GUNN. At the Victoria League Rooms at New Plymouth on Monday night, Dr. Elizabeth Gunn delivered a very entertaining and instructive address on medical inspection and its results. There was a large and representative attendance. Dr. Gunn introduced her subject by describing the details in connection with the children’s health camp that she arranged in December, 1919, at Turakina. The camp was run on military lines; the 55 children present slept in tents and had their meals out of doors. Only plain, wholesome food was given to the children. Tift main object of the camp was to treat children suffering from malnutrition, that is, not those underfed, but wrongly fed. The popular fallacy was weight for age. While those children chosen for the camp were judged on the scale of weight for height, and they were treated accordingly. Those entering the camp were ten per cent, at least below the average standard, this standard being taken from 10,000 British children.

The results of the camp were truly astounding, the average increase in weight being from 6 to 81bs in three weeks. After the first few nights there was no coughing at nights and no sick parades during the day. After meals tooth-brush drill was ‘taken, and since the camp Dr. Gunn has realised how necessary tooth-brush drill was to the general health of the children, and from this time the doctor began her campaign for the care of the teeth. Instructive diagrams were exhibited showing the results of dental caries, tonsils, adenoids, mouth-breathing, etc. At schools where tooth-brush drill is regularly carried out the doctor has been unable to find one septic mouth, and where the teeth are regularly cleaned, the mental condition has improved.

The doctor strongly Urged early dental treatment, so that the growth of the second teeth is not injured by sepsis from the first teeth.

Defective hearing, eyesight, and goitre were also dealt with. There appeared a fallacious idea abroad that tonsils and adenoids should not/be removed before the child reaches seven years. Dr. Gunn advised that these should bo removed wherever thef are likely to be injurious to the health of the child, as if kept 100 long it may not be possible to attend to them satisfactorily, and they may lead to indigestion, rheumatism and other trouble*?. In conclusion, Dr. Gunn congratulated the people of New Plymouth on the valuable playing areas, parks, etc., established, but thought that more apparatus for the older children was needed. She then made suggestions whereby the Victoria League could be even more useful in assisting the welfare of the girls dud boys: (a) by instituting nourishing lunches 'for children at school; (’b) a care committee to help in the welfare of the school; (e) a permanent health camp for the mal-nour-ished children of Taranaki. Dr. Gunn also spoke strongly on the scanty attire of some of the young girls sent to school, th°ir limbs being blue with cold. This, declared Dr. Gunn, was surely laying the foundation for rheumatism, heart trouble,, etc. A very heart v vote of thanks was accorded Dr. Gurin. on the motion of the Mayoress (Mrs. Wilson).