PUBLIC HEALTH

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 147, 23 June 1928, Page 11

PUBLIC HEALTH

AMERICAN AUTHORITY , TOUR OF DOMINION . ' Dr. Woods - Hutchins.on, .ono of . tho foremost authorities oil'public, health in the .United States, and thp author of.a number of stdndarcl medical works, has just"'.completed' a tour of New Zealand.' Ho is accompanied by his wife and son (a" student,;of Harvard University). Tho party left for the North yesterday, and will.be passengers by the Niagara, leaving Auckland for Vancouver next, Tuesday. To a "Post" representative, Dr.' Hutehinsoii made some interesting comments; on several public'health questions." . . . ; . ' '"Of course I have known for many years," he said, "of the.splendid work you are doing here in connection with certain phases of the public health; We have a saying in America, when anything is-spoken of. that seems almost too dramatic to be true,"ln the movies they do. it1'; and so. in relation to social welfare work and ■ health work we say, "In New Zealand they do it." You have, of .course, a 1 very admirable type of population to begin with, and an almost ideal climate. It is a little on the cool side. on a day like this (added Dr. Woods Hutchinson, with a smile),' "but apart from that tho climate is nearly ideal. You have an excellent diffusion of prosperity and welfare/and an admirable and abundant food supply. . I might almost say of New Zealand, as the Neapolitans say'of Naples, that it is 'Una pezza Paradieso caduta in. terra' (' a little, piece of heaven fallen on earth'), although1 it would not be true to say 'ma incolata por diavoli' ('but inhabited by devils'). "The first thing ono notes with appreciation here, is the. child welfare work, which has been so admirably carried out in.every way, and in which my friend. Sir Truby King has managed to reflect the spirit of .New Zealand. The work has been a matter of perpetual inspiration; the standard ■ that has boon set by New Zealand is one that ambitious health administrations of cities all over tho world, particularly in America and in. England,, have endeavoured ,to rival, :and if.: possible, to surpass, though they, have not done so yet. : To my mind,as a writer on public health, it is one", of the: most hopeful features that our "cities/ boards of trade, chambers of commerce, and similar organisations are putting health statistics right.in the forefront of their announcements and programmes. They aru making a strong point-of, the fact that a particular city is a place where you can bring ..up a.... healthy, happy family. As an old public health writer, that, strikes me as- being, a- high type of rivalry—very much better than mere population or wealth or other features of that sort. One of the reasons for New Zealand's prominenco in that respect is that you have such a high and admirable type of health officer—that the aim appears to have been to get •tho best men and then give them as free a hand as possible, and the results that they have assisted to produce speak for themselves. , Our greatest drawback in America, of course, is tho deplorable' uncertainty of tenure of office. SPORT AND SCHOOLS. "As I have indicated, you have been greatly helped in the splendid record you have been able to achieve ,byyour almost ideal climate. , We have... in America to 'fight'against.'from two to six-feet of snow, in the ; winter, and temperatures-of- 20 to 40 degrees, below zero; and that means a huge fuel bill, and perhaps a little more affection for plenty of heat in the shop than is altogether wholesome. When you have temperatures "like.that, you have to put on'the heat pressure to correspond. While it is customary to "think, of the besetting sin of" America as, over-heated houses, we do not 'find any increase in disease.3 such as pneumonia, rheumatism and bronchitis which are usually supposed-to be. associated ( with changes of temperature; in fact, our :rheumatism ■■■■ rate"- is-rapidly .declining, while in England and in most Continental countries it' is' 'Increasing, and they are very much alarmed about it; "We have como to, the conclusion very decidedly that since wo have increased the span.of life nearly 50 per cent in the last,4o years, wo must unite ] with that. increased length, of life all '■.the ■movements .that■ go to. make life more enjoyable and happy; otherwise ■it simply means prolonging life without making-it""worth while. ■' "While I have-.been:, in ...New Zealand I have; beon very much 'struck by. tho tremendous interest taken in out3oor sports of all kinds by tho smallest children up to tho young businoss man. A - visitor'cannot help noticing the enthusiasm displayed,-and also the fact that New.Zoaland and Australian teams hold their own in every branch of sport. Thoso are things that-help to make life more enjoyablo and at the same time healthier and more comfortable: We are coming,to": the same conclusion in America. We no longer chaso the nimble dollar.so much as we did, and are beginning to take thingseasier and more sensibly." .;,.- ■ Dr, Woods-,Hutchinson- said' he had visited a number; of the -schools in the Dominion, and he spoke in terms of appreciation of the method- ofr ventilation and of the control of..the heating arrangements by tho teachers. Tho visitor also spoke most favourably of the work done at tho dental clinics, and of the training given to the school dental nurses.. '■ -. ..- , '