H.—3l

2

Part IV.—Nursing. page Section I. —Nurses Registration Act : Overseas Nurses ; Reciprocity ; Great Britain ; Queensland ; Western Australia ; Nurses in Government Departments ; District Health Nurses for Natives ; Nurses' Superannuation 30 Section 2. —Midwives Act: Examinations ; Central Midwives Board, England ; Reciprocity with New Zealand ; St. Helens Hospitals ; Statistics, Maternity Hospitals .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 Section 3.—Private Hospitals : Maternity Cases in Private Houses .. .. .. .. .. .. 32 Part V. —School Hygiene. Section I.—Administration and Medical Inspection : Staff; Work performed ; Medical Inspection ; Nutrition and Posture ; Physical Culture ; School Lunch ; Nutrition Classes ; Health Camp; Teeth; Dental Nurses ; Goitre .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. -.32 Section 2. —Mentally-backward and Feeble-minded Children ; Epileptic Children . . .. .. .. 36 Section 3. —Sex Hygiene .. .. .. .. .. .. .. •. •. .. 37 Section 4.—Open-air Classes and Schools . . .. .. .. .. .. •. 37 Section s.—Schools and Buildings .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..37 Section (i.—Lectures and Propaganda .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 Section 7.—Work of School Nurses .. .. .. .. .. .. •. •. 38 Section 8. —Summary of Treatment Returns .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 Section o.—Medical Examination of Teachers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 39 Part VI. —Dental Hygiene. Section 1. —Staff, Accommodation, and Equipment : Personnel; Operations performed ; Clinics ; Equipment .. 39 Section 2.—Propaganda ; Health Week ; Visit of Dr. Mayo, Rochester ; American Opinion of Work .. .. 40 Part VII. —Maori Hygiene. Section I.—General Health : Typhoid Fever ; Maori Health Councils, Work of ; Water-supplies ; Sanitary Improvement ; Inoculation ; Ante-typhoid ; Tangis and Huis; Maori Health Nurses; Native Health Inspectors .. .. .. . . .. .. •. • • • • • • .. 40 Section 2. —Anthropology ; Physique of the Maori .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42 Part VIII. —Health Districts. Section I.—Auckland Health District: Administration ; Sanitation ; Refuse Disposal ; Offensive Trades ; Food and Drugs Act; Infectious Diseases ; Puerperal Fever ; Private Hospitals .. .. .. .. 42 Section 2. —Wanganui and Taranaki Health District : Diphtheria ; Enteric Fever ; Tuberculosis ; Puerperal Fever ; Sanitation ; Foods and Drugs ; Inspections .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 44 Section 3. —Hawke's Bay Health District: Administration ; Sanitation ; Health Act; Local Authorities ; Regulations ; By-laws ; Infectious Diseases ; Puerperal Septicemia ; Maternal Mortality ; Private Hospitals 40 Seotion 4.—Wellington Health District : Diphtheria ; Tuberculosis ; Puerperal Kever ; Private Hospitals and Maternity Homes; Ophthalmia Neonatorium ; Influenza; Food Poisoning; Diarrhoea and Enteritis; Hospital Accommodation ; Wellington City; Offensive Trades; Food and Drugs ; Milk .. .. ..47 Section 5. —Canterbury and Westland Health District : Puerperal Sepsis ; Food Poisoning ; Private Hospitals .. 50 Section o.—Otago and Southland Health Districts : Administration ; Local Government Authorities ; Health Inspectors, Dunedin, Invercargill, Oamaru ; Infectious Diseases ; Influenza Epidemic ; Infectious-diseases Control; Private Hospitals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 Part IX.—Hospitals and Sanatoria. Seotion I.—Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer : Male Patients ; Women's Section ; Bath-houses ; Massage Department ; Water Services ; Tea-kiosk ; Garden ; Red Cross Society ; Outside Patients ; Administration .. 52 Section 2.—King George V Hospital, Rotorua : Staff ; Surgical Operations ; Antesthetics ; Civilian Patients ; Physio-therapeutic Department; Laboratory and Dispensary ; Plaster Department; Splintmakers' Shop ; Surgical Bootmakers' Shop ; Services rendered .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 53 Section 3. —Otaki Sanatorium and Hospital: Results of treatment; Administration .. .. .. .. 54 Section 4.—Pukeora Sanatorium : Morale of Patients ; Treatment; Administration ; X-Ray Department; Farm 54 Section s.—Medical Statistics .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 55

The Director-General of Health to the Hon. the Minister of Health, Wellington. I have the honour to lay before you the annual report of the Department for the year 1923-24. PART I.—GENERAL SURVEY. SECTION I.—GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. Public Health. Unfortunately, the year under consideration was affected by the special demand for economy in public expenditure, and this necessitated a certain measure of departmental reorganization. Among other measures taken with a view to bringing about the economy so urgently required was the decision to close the offices of the Department at Whangarei, Napier, and Wanganui, the districts administered from those centres being placed respectively under the control of the Auckland and Wellington office. It is obvious that the districts as now situated are too large to ensure efficient supervision, and it can only be hoped that in more prosperous times it may be possible to again establish offices outside the four chief centres of our population. At that time, also, it may be possible to make departmental positions more attractive to the medical profession than is possible under the existing circumstances. In this connection it is to be regretted that so far the proposals of the Department to the effect that the Councils of the larger centres should appoint whole-time Medical Officers has not been favoured by the Councils concerned, and though the Department must naturally conclude that the Corporations are satisfied with the present arrangements, the fact remains that the sanitation and genera] health work of the larger towns could be better supervised if the Councils would but agree