HEALTH OF CHILDREN.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1921, Page 6

HEALTH OF CHILDREN.

MANY CASES IN HOSPITAL.

ENQUIRIES BY HOSPITAL BOARD.

“There are forty-nine children still in hospital,” said the chairman (Mr. M. Fraser), at yesterday’s meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board, when there was some discussion on the health of children.

In reply to a letter from the board, asking an opinion as to the cause of so many children being sent into hopsital at the present time, the medical superintendent (Dr. E. A. Walker) wrote:

The six months' admissions from March to August of the present year were 600, of which 261 were children under the age of 14. Of these 261, 08 children came from New Plymouth, and 163 from outside districts.

The diseases under treatment were very varied, but a considerable proportion of the total comes from the prevalence of chronic enlargement of the tonsils and adenoid vegetations in the naso pharyn, on the one hand, and the prevalence of infections diseases on the other. The former account for 12.1 per cent, of the total admissions, there having been 73 cases operated on during this period, while the latter account for 6.3 per cent. There were also four cases of chronic ear discharge, following measles or scarlet fever, under treatment during this period. Deducting these classes of disease from the percentage of children’s admissions, viz., 43.5, we have the figure of 21.1 per cent, for the re- 1 maining types. These are so varied that no explanation of their origin can be given. As regards tonsillar enlargement and its prevention, the most important de* tail is the care of the mouth and teeth. Decayed teeth and a dirty mouth are most potent factors in etiology of this disease. As regards the prevalence of infectious disease, there is no doubt that the majority of these cases are associated with the close contact of children at school. In the building of schools I fear the plan of preparing for the requirement of the time is too closely followed and not space for the advance of population. The result is the. overcrowding so often seen at the present time. The provision of abundant airspace per child in school class rooms would be followed by a reduction in'hospital admissions for infectious diseases.

The quotation on the latter part of your letter that “the number of children requiring hospital treatment is an indication of the health condition of the district,” really refers to large cities where overcrowding is a factor. This is met by the figures quoted for our district, where 163 admissions out of a total of 261- children came from outside the borough. It, was decided to convey the thanks of the board to the medical auperlnvendent, for his report. Mr. S. Vickers said he thought the time had arrived when the board should approach the contributing authorities in an endeavor to trace the source of the infection. He had recently made some comments on the system of supplying drinking water to school children, and, though the chairman of the Education Board had repudiated his «3tatements. he still contended that the method of supplying th? water was a very crude one. The water was generally caught off a filthy roof.

The chairman said it had been a great disappointment that the chairman of the hoard had denied there was any trouble, instead of taking the matter up seriously. There were nearly fifty children in the hospital at present, and this state was going on from month to month. He thought they should com-

municate with the controlling authorities, directing their attention to the sickness among children. Mr. Vickers said the chairman of the Education Board had said the tanks were properly sluiced. He (the speaker) maintained that they were not. His experience was certainly of a few years back, but in many cases the same tanks were still in use’.

The chairman said that, during a visit to Wellington, he had pointed out to the Department that the board had no control over the health of their district. The Minister had replied that the hoard could exercise some voice in the matter, and they could secure authority to make an inspection of dwellings,* if necessary, after the admission of a case-. It. was ultimately decided to ask the Education Board to receive a deputation from the hoard at their next monthly meeting. The delegates appointed were the chairman, and Messrs. Vickers and Ha Icon 1 be.