Australian Witness Attacks Fluoridation-

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28256, 18 April 1957, Page 14

Australian Witness Attacks Fluoridation-

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 17. Enlightened persons had “had” the Health * Department’s illadvised schemes, including the milk-in-schools scheme and the fluoridation scheme, and nothing could alter their conviction that the department was a “dead loss” to society, said Mira Louise, principal of the Mira Louise Health Centres and Biochemic Supplies, Adelaide, in evidence before the Fluoridation Commission today. The witness said that as New Zealand children had the worst teeth in the world, the New Zealand Dental Association, which endorsed fluoridation, could not be regarded as a reliable source of information. The witness said that people were anything but satisfied with dental services and the prices charged. Countless persons had such ill-fitting false teeth that they wore them socially, but removed them to eat a meal. The Dental Association should put its house in order before sponsoring any more hare-brained schemes, the witness said. “Disastrous Milk Drinking” The witness said that the Health Department still endorsed its disastrous milk-drinking scheme. The acclaimed increase in weight of New Zealand children was nothing to be proud of. Pride in weight might be pardoned for cattle, but children were people. No girl of 14 enjoyed being a “stone and a half heavier or wearing shoes-three sizes larger than her grandmother.”

The witness said that through overfeeding of children, more boys would suffer from tonsil troubles, adenoids, abscessed ears and sinus trouble than girls, but girls would also become very coarse and bovine, with large hands and feet, huge busts and hips, thick ankles, and enormous thighs. “Many of these girls in their early teens are still tadpole people, outwardly well developed, but actually sexually retarded and emotionally unstable,” she said. John Summerville Carmichael, Wellington City Council waterworks engineer, said fluoridation would cost the consumer of water about Is 3d a year. He had heard of no damage to plant by fluoride. Medical Evidence -Dr. Philip Patrick Lynch told the commission yesterday that he felt sure the high incidence of dental caries in New Zealand was attributable to the low percentage of fluorides in New Zealand waters. He was convinced that water fluoridation was a practical public health measure and could be adopted with great benefit in any community.

He agreed with the view submitted by the New Zealand Dental Association that fluoride projects should be organised as studies to determine the extent to which benefit might be derived. Dr. Charles Ritchie Burns, a lecturer in medicine for the University of New Zealand, said that clinical studies of fluorine in the human organism had disclosed no incidence of heart disease or afflictions of arteries, blood, or kidneys in persons examined. All persons tested had been ingesting fluorine for some time. Not only could no disorder of the organs mentioned be attributed to the fluoridation, but fears expressed by earlier research workers that certain spinal defects in children were caused by fluorides were totally unfounded, he said. “Perfectly Safe” Both doctors insisted that there was a large body of medical evidence testifying to the value of fluorides in combating the incidence of dental caries. They believed fluorides to be perfectly safe if administered correctly and a benefit to public health. Further medical evidence was given today by Colonel Carl James Ferris Fuller, Director of Dental Services in the armed forces, ,Dr. John Daniel Bergin, a neurologist, and Dr. David Glendinning Watt, president of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Dental Association. Colonel Fuller tabled evidence supplied by Dr. Muriel E. Bell supporting fluoridation. Dr. Bergin said that fluorides did not accumulate in the soft tissues, and therefore could not harm the brain. He had no evidence from his considerable experience that fluoridation caused insanity, and in fact in no case he had heard of had fluorides been even remotely considered as a likely factor.

Speaking for Wellington dentists, Dr. Watt supported fluoridation.