DOMINION'S HEALTH

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 153, 29 June 1916, Page 5

DOMINION'S HEALTH

MILITARY HOSPITALS,

PRIMARY CAUSES OF DEATH AMOXG GENERAL PUBLIC.

Special reference to military hospitals is made in the report from the InspectorGeneral of Hospitals, presented by the Minister of Public Health to the House of Representatives yesterday.. The report states that early in the year, on the request of the Minister of Defence, the officers of the Department undertook new duties and responsibilities in connection with the sanitation of the Trentham and Featherston Military Camps, and the hospital accommodation of the sick from those camps, as well as that of the sick and wounded from the seat of war These additional duties took up a deal of the time of the officers of the various branches, which, as the staff had been seriously depleted by so many of its officers being absent on active service, taxed the resources of the Department to the utmost.

"Happily, however," adds the Minister, "the Department rose to the occasion, and I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which the officers of all branches embarked on their new duties and the cheerfulness with which they worked after office hours to maintain the credit of their Department."

Of the two primary causes of death in this country, cancer now heads the list with a record of 900 deaths, as against 693 deaths from tubercular diseases. As regards the former, valuable assistance had been given by the British Medical Association, whose members had signified their willingness to accede to the request to operate with the medical officers of the Department in any manner that might be considered necessary, and in the drawing up of literature that might be distributed amongst the public with regard to this most terrible disease.

As regards tubercular diseases, the Hospital Boards of the Dominion had responded favourably to the circular which was issued, and it was hoped thereby that the campaign initiated against these diseases in 1912 would not be allowed to languish.

Less prominent, yet still a question of great importance as regards the public health of this country, was the health oE the Native race, and the Minister's determination to place this matter on a more satisfactory basis should, gain the hearty support of all concerned.

The report adds : — "The number of births registered during 1915 was 27,850, or 25.33 in every 1000 persons living. The number is 488 less than for the year 1914, and the rate less than for the year 1914 by 0.66 per thousand. This reduction in the birthrate, small as it may be, must be regarded as serious, especially in these momentous times. The number of male children born during 1915 was 14,415, and of female children 13,435. Despite an unusual number of epidemics, the general health of the Dominion has been good, the death-rats being 9.06 per 1000 in 1915, as against 9.31 in 1914. The infantile mortality rate for New Zealand was 50.05 deaths per 1000 births, the lowest hitherto recorded."