MARRIAGES AND HEALTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 89, 16 April 1927, Page 31

MARRIAGES AND HEALTH.

THE IDEAL OF FITNESS

VOLUNTARY EXAMINATION

(By PERITUS.)

Recently a London newspaper invited a number of well-known men to state what wish they would have if sure that one—and only one—would be granted The replies varied from, "To get out of all this," to, "Always abounding health." the latter is a general and very natural wish, but it is only during the last twenty years that the minds of all our peoples have been turned to ways and means of securing good health. Unselfishly, most of the work in this direction has been done, or attempted, amongst children, and posterity will reap ths benefit of what has been accomplished.

The most extensive scheme, that of a State medical service, was put aside when the English national insurances (which had some of the advantages expected in the State medical service) came into being. The next ten years should see the medical profession nationalised and all its members tested, graded, and placed in appropriate positions, with specialists at hospital stations, and nurses, all having sufficient "first aid" training to enable any one of them to be "it" until the doctor arrived or the hospital district ambulance rolled up.

Within the next ten years, too, I hope there will be no marriages (legal or otherwise) without each party to the contract being assured by medical certificate that the other party is free from acquired or inherited disease. If men and women submit to medical examination for insurance purposes (such examinations are often slurred over and seldom conducted by experts) there is no immodesty and no hardship in their voluntarily obtaining a medical certificate for purposes of marriage.

There is a story, told, I think, by Lever, of a French soldier who, returning from a campaign minus an»arm, offered to release his sweetheart from her bond. "With one arm or two, you are still my Jean," she cried. It was his misfortune to lose both legs about the knees by a round shot in his next action. This time she hesitated when her beau offered to part from her, but with love and pity combined she flung her arms about hiir. and with tears declared, "Thou art evei and for always my Jean."

True lovers would probably horrify eugeuists by disregarding medical certificates, but it is also probable that a man or a woman once seriously warned of the possible consequences of an undesirable marriage would refuse to permit the generosity of the healthy party to the union to ignore the warning. For both parties to be compelled to produce a" certificate of fitness before being able to secure a marriage license might lead to worse evils than we have already. It appears that after a pre-nuptial medical certificate was made obligatory in 1919, the law was revoked by the State of Washington, but was adopted with amendments by seven other States, in the majority of which the law only applies to men, the certificate merely stating that there is no sign of venereal disease. In North Carolina the examining doctor must make a declaration to the effect that the contracting party is not suffering from any contagious tuberculous disease, and that he cannot bo classed as an idiot, an imbecile or a lunatic. On March 24, 1920, the Medical Society of Berlin pronounced itself in favour of making a pre-miptial medical examination obligatory for both sexes with free choice of doctor, but it considered that professional secrecy should be strictly observed, and that the final decision should rest with tho contracting parties. In Austria a pre-nuptial consultative institution has been in existence in Vienna since 1922, and similar centres have been opened in Belgium at Antwerp and Brussels, and in Italy at Milan. "The Societe Francaise d'Eugenique desires to impress upon the parents of fiances the importance of a pre-nuptial i medical examination with a view to : ascertaining that contracting parties are • not infected by any disease which may be transmitted to their children." Advantage might be derived from the , distribution of notices by the authorities ; to persons contemplating marriage, as soon as they register for this purpose. i These notices would stress the importance of such examination both to them , and their offspring. It remains to be I seen whether more stringent action , should not be taken. by* making the • examination obligatory. There is a lack of "completeness and • thoroughness about ajl the- schemes in . force and suggested because fear of dis- • covery might drive many into "free | union," and further, the possibility of : errors in diagnosis, and the necessity t for the issue of a medical certificate » immediately before the proposed niarri-

It cannot be taken for granted that both parties to a marriage are absolutely honest and really desirous of protecting a mate and possible offspring from harm. The unselfishness of both must be depended upon to promote voluntary registration (following exanimation) of fitness for marriage Many years ago there was a° cause celebre in England in which the y oung rife brought an action for damage! against her husband, charging him with assault, and endeavouringVmake that term apply to the conveyance of disease The fact that a girl access her husband for better or worse Sea v* her quite unprotected in this way.