Hygienic Clothes

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 September 1930, Page 9

Hygienic Clothes

Tl HE day when the dress of the population will be regarded by the sanitary authorities was foreshadowed by Mr Edward Willis, chairman of the Council of the Royal Sanitary Institute, speaking at the annual congress dinner recently. “The scope of the work of sanitary authorities has increased enormously during recent years,” he said. “It now covers departments of life of the population which no one could have foreseen in the early days. It. is therefore too much to expect that in years to come it will extend to such matters as the clothing of the people? “Clothing is a mater of enormous importance in relation to health. Those who -believe that, it-will r-equire-tke > framing drid-- enforcement: of regulations to induce people to. wear the clothes which are in the interests of their ‘hetdth will;* no doubt, look forward to the day when'fines will be imposed by magistrates on men who wear tight-fitting collars, or who swathe theii limbs in thick tweeds in hot weather. They probably cherish dreams of a state of affairs when seaside councils will forbid bathers to wear anything but the scantiest costumes. The wearing of long skirts would, of course, be a criminal offence for which the only possible punishment would be a term of imprisonment, “I do not think that sort of thing would work in this country. We are a law-abiding people, but we draw the line somewhere, ‘ and we prefer freedom to hygiene. If the people of this country are ever going to learn to dress hygienically, and this applies particularly to men, it will be the result not of bullying, regulation, or official compulsion, but by the process of education.”

The possibility that there are fundamental changes taking place in the physiology of modern woman which makes the bearing of children more dangerous than it was for her predecessors was hinted at by Lady Howard de Walden in an address to the congress. Referring to the “appalling” figure of 73,682 mother deaths since the year 1911, Lady Howard de Walden said that contrary to general belief, these deaths did not occur exclusively among the poorer classes, but were distributed impartially among all classes of women. It was possible that onr

Will They Be Compulsory?

Fines for Tight Collars

increasing knowledge and improved methods might, be balanced or even outweighed by an increased susceptibility to the ills which attended childbirth. . . “It is a very general opinion, said Bady Howard de Walden, “among those who are concerned with maternal mortality, that the incidence of complicated and dangerous childbirth is steadily increasing. The popular explanation that it is due entirely to economic circumstances, either to the unnecessary luxury of one class or. the unnecessary poverty of another, will not satisfy us, because the incidence appears to be' the-same for all classes. It is not possible to prove or disprove my suggestion that there is an increased susceptibility to certain diseases. -The necessary are- not available, and may not be available for another generation* oi* two’. But this possibility should be the Subject of* public attention and investigation. “Qur task becomes infinitely more serious and difficult if we even suspect that, instead of merely altering circumstances, correcting faults of nature, and finding remedies for existing diseases, we are almost engaged in a race with nature, and that there are fundamental changes taking place which may render our best measures inoperative. “We can confirm this view with a comparison with the animal world. It is a significant thing that the more highly specialised the animal form and the nearer it approaches to and resembles our own facilities, the more surely it is attacked by certain ills whose first symptoms are difficulties of birth and whose end is often complete sterility.” Majoi’-Greneral Sir John Moore described, as one of the most serious disease problems facing the country the form of tuberculosis which affect domestic animals, poultry, and human beings. He said that 40 per cent, of the cows of our dairy herds producing milk for human consumption were tuberculous; 31.5 per cent, of tuberculosis in children up .to 15 years was of bovine origin, and deaths of tuberculous children up to 5 years was 29.5 per cent, of bovine origin. It was no credit to scientists and protectors of public health that such a state of affairs should be permitted to exist.