PUBLIC HEALTH

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 16, 13 October 1927, Page 11

PUBLIC HEALTH

AUSTRALIAN DOCTORS’ INQUIRIES IN AMERICA QUESTIONS OF POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION New York, October 11. Drs. Robertson, Dick, and Atkinson have arrived after three months’ tour of North America, in which they visited twenty-seven States and the Province of Ontario, inspecting institutions devoted to public liealth work and education. They will leave for England on October 13, and, after a fortnight’s stay there, Drs. Robertson and Atkinson will return to Australia, while Dr. Dick will proceed to the Continent to continue his studies. All prais ed the uniform courtesy and help received in America in the pursuance of their inquiries, which they made in conjunction with the Rockefeller Institute. They pointed out that they devoted their attention chiefly to ques tions of general policy and arlministra tion, and their conclusions would naturally depend upon further study on the basis of the documents which tbev had collected.

Interesting features in public health work, with bearings on Australian conditions, were the chlorination of water and sewage disposal, the pasteurisation of milk, and the public health nurse. They found the water supply and sewage .disposal one combined problem. Water nearly every where was being chlorinated, and sew age in many cases was denatured before being permitted to enter rivers Dr. Robertson expressed a hope that Australian towns in planning such public works might obviate the necessity of expensive processes. Pasteurisation is supervised by the authorities, but the supervision is complicated by the great number of pasteurisation plants. Fewer and centralised plants would make supervision more effective and easy. Great emphasis is placed on the work of the public health nurse in America, and while Australia is familiar with this field, it is less specialised there.