DIET AND HEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1922, Page 2

DIET AND HEALTH.

AN UNENVIABLE DISTINCTION 1 , NEW ZEALAND’S BAD TEETH. “We in New Zealand have the worst teeth in the world,” declared Dr. E. H. Wilkins, the Director of the Division of School Hygiene, in the course of a lecture at Auckland, when he pointed out that serious though the position was, the situation to a large extent was under the control of the people. It was a question of personal habits, and how the poor lived. The trouble with diet nowadays was that it was excessively artificial. There was too much dependence on manufactured, refined, preserved and excessively cooked foods. More oatmeal and wheatmeal should be eaten; wheatmeal bread propaganda was not a fed. Dental disease had become more common in the countries which had gone in for refined and artificial foods to a large extent. He instanced how Xew Zealanders consumer! more sugar per capita than the people of any other country in the world. The greatest food error was the habit of frequent eating. Those who ate frequently could never know the legitimate pleasure of satisfying genuine hunger.

Long life and good health did not necessarily go hand in hand. The chief cause of death in New Zealand was organic heart disease. Cancer was also increasing in the Dominion. In the medical examination of children it been found that dental disease, however, was practically universal, and increasing. He believed dental disease to be a more fundamental problem even than tuberculosis, cancer, or any other health problem they had to face. It was the greatest of all health problems. Dr. Wilkins was strongly of opinion that .bodily exercise was essential fbr good health, but was afraid, however, that too little attention was paid to this matter. He was an optimist in regard to the health of the people of this Dominion, but a proper level could only be attained after education and the moulding of public opinion. The Plunket Society, with the support of the Health Department, was doing wonderful work in the early stages of life.