HABITS OF LIFE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 35, 9 August 1930, Page 7

HABITS OF LIFE

THE CAUSES OF DEATH

PREVENTING SICKNESS

Tbc total number-of deaths in 1929 ivas 12,314, and , the , principal causes were:—Heart disease (all forms) 2533, cancer 1467, and'chest diseases (pneu monia 464, pneumonia, secondary to influenza/ whooping-cough, and measles 177, broncho-pneumonia 251, and bronchitis ,314) 1206, violence . 955, and tuberculosis 642. In his report to Parliament, which was presented to the House of Kepresentatives on Thursday, the Director-General of Health (Dr. T. 11. A. Valintine) commented on the fact that the causes mentioned accounted for almost two-thirds of the total. '' Obviously, with .some of them —e.g., tuberculosis, the common chest diseases, some forms of heart disease, and apoplexy —habits of life and environment are important factors," he continued. '' The correction of faulty habits, where applicable, and the improvement of the environment of an unfortunate or careless minority of the New Zealand public would reduce these deaths, and the numbers are such as to offer, a margin of gain worth the effort. It is only by the active co-operation of the public, the local authorities, the medical and nursing professions,, and the Department of Health .in definite disease prevention.in the home, school, and work place environment of t;he people that great reduction in, our death rate will be made. , ■ , "New Zealand has a low general death rate—the lowest in the world— but its.reduction has been far less rapid than that of the birth rate.. There are prospects of considerable reduction in the number of deaths, provided the efforts of central and tocal governing authorities, including the hospital boards, the medical. and nursing professions, and the general, public, are united, and also that they are well directed. : INTANT DEATH RATE. /• '' Concentration upon further reduction of the already low infant death rate, the still birth rate, 'or the mater nal deaths (129) will, reduce deaths un der these three headings, but the num bers are such that thereby no great reduction can be made in : the general death rate. Of the grand total of 12,314 deaths. 11,402 apply to. ■ persons over one year of age, and, of these, 11,273 were not associated with maternity Pregnancy and birth are events danger ous to both mother and child, and our intended efforts to reduce this danger cannot affect the general death rate to any considerable degree. It is obvious that we must widen our preventive ef fort to include persons of both sexes and all ages. It is particularly neces sary to correct bad living habits, to treat disease in its early stages, and, wherever possible, to prevent the spread of any infectious illness. "A definite alliance rather than a 'cordiale entente' with the army of general j medical practitioners is advisable, and it is equally important that'they should be definitely engaged in the prevention of disease. The ideal to strive for is that the local authorities and their medical officers of health should be aid ing the medical practitioners in disease prevention by measures intended to improve the environment of the general public. For several years.past graduates from the Otago Medical School have received special. training in preventive medicine. SICKNESS INSURANCE. "It is both expensive and inadequate to send State medical officers and nurses from 20 to 100 miles or more to introduce children from, school or home to medical practitioners living in eloso proximity to those children. National insurance for sickness and invalidity is one method already in operation in England, and. through Europe and Asia, of partnership with the general medical practitioner for the purpose of disease prevention; and I recommend advocacy of its adoption by New Zealand to your favourable consideration. "Regarding the 955 deaths last year from violence,-of which 725 were due to accident, 221 to suicide, and 9 to homicide, it is noteworthy that in the last eight years, whereas-the death rates from suicide and homicide have shown little variation, that: from accident,

especially motor vehicles accident, has increased considerably. In the last three years the number of deaths annually from motor vehicle accidents have averaged 164."