FRENCHMAN’S INTEREST IN SCHOOL HEALTH

Press, Volume C, Issue 29468, 21 March 1961, Page 14

FRENCHMAN’S INTEREST IN SCHOOL HEALTH

The New Zealand scheme of school dental nurses has so impressed Mr Claude G. Menard, Deputy - Director of School Health Services in France, that he will recommend its adoption in France, and also in other countries of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation which has awarded him a research fellowship for studies in Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. In Christchurch last evening Mr Menard said that, although he was a research fellow for many countries, he thought French experience in dental health would be common to all. France had “school dentists" who checked children’s teeth but did no treatment. If 100 were wanted there might be only half a dozen applications. The fully-trained dentist found dental checking of children tiresome and unrewarding in results. These two factors, plus the comparatively small salaries offered, made most prefer private practice. “But I am sure we have thousands of girls who would be keen and capable in providing the care which your dental nurses give to the teeth of the young,” Mr Menard said. "This scheme appears to be peculiar to New Zealand and one wonders why nobody eise has ever thought of it.” Mr Menard said he suspected that French children and those in other S.EA.T.O. countries did not have as many dental caries as New Zealand children. They ate less cake (or none at all), fewer sweets, and lived on plainer foods with more crude fibrous vegetables. But dental care was still needed. Milk tn Schools

The present controversy on milk In New Zealand schools has been followed avidly by Mr Menard. Like a good diplomat he sees merit in arguments on both sides. “I don’t think anybody who has taken systematic measure-

ments of gains in weight and height would ever doubt the benefits of milk to the young. I doubt whether you have sufficient statistics on this point," he said. “But on the other hand I can see that you enjoy a very high stand-

ard of living and that it should be possible for adequate milk to be provided in nearly all homes.” In France there were many congested industrial areas and many poor areas so a milk-in-schools scheme was introduced in 1954, Mr Menard said. It was managed on a subsidy basis with the central government meeting about three-quarters of the cost and the rest coming from local councils, schools, or civic organisations. This gave an incentive and availability of free milk was thus largely determined by local interest and effort. Mr Menard is packing in new experiences as his tour nears its end. He arrived at the week-end intending to take a scenic flight over the South Island but they were all booked out. So he worked Saturday and will “steal” Wednesday to fly over the Southern Alps and southern lakes.

Yesterday he spent the morning at Glenelg health camp. There were similar “open-air schools” in France but they kept pupils for two terms to a year instead of two months as in this country. The longer period was considered necessary to give lasting results. Akaroa was visited yesterday afternoon. Mr Menard was thrilled to soak up the history of early French settlement and read the French street names. “I am sure few people in France know of this outpost of early France. I did not,” he said. This diversion was only a sidelight of visits to Peninsula schools.

Mr Menard will spend all today with officers of the Health Department, make his scenic flight on Wednesday, and wind up his Christchurch visit on Thursday with visits to Canterbury University, Christ’s College, and the Child Health Clinic. Since November. Mr Menard has amassed an enormous amount of material on the organisation of education. school health services, social work among the young, student health in universities, and schooling for the handicapped in five countries. It will all be useful. His own service is responsible for the health and welfare of 10,000,000 children. students, and teachers.