PHYSICAL FITNESS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 71, 21 February 1939, Page 11

PHYSICAL FITNESS.

ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB. Speculating as to the origin of the present Physical Fitness Campaign, Dr. Duncan Cook, medical officer of health stationed at Palmerston North, in. an address to the Rotary Club yesterday, stated that he felt that fear, or ailmiration of tho totalitarian States, had played a part; an unconscious or conscious feeling that our health was not as good as it should l>e, or as good as it had been in the past; anxiety, another factor, was the dominant psychological feeling at the present clay. “The early Christians turned their attention wholly to moral education as a revolt against the abominations of decadent pagan society,” continued tho speaker. “To them tho spiritual life was everything—the physical had to be subdued.” Dr. Oook asked whether we also had an unbalanced education, and neglected physical education for the purely academic. If so, it was pleasing to see the present movement towards a more balanced system. By using graphs, Dr. Cook showed the’birth-rate in New Zealand and Us effect upon the population since 1878. “Pearson, in his ‘Chances of Death,’ pictures a bridge of life across which is a trickle of humanity,” the speaker proceeded. “They are under the fire of five marksmen, one for each age. They firo with different weapons, speeds and degrees of precision.” Tho first marksman concentrated, a deadly fire upon infancy, before as well as after birth. The second marksman aimed a machinegun at childhood; bis firo'was concentrated, the loss less appalling. The third shot at youth Avitli a- bow and arrow, and there was no great loss. The fourth fired slowly at maturity with a blunderbuss; bis hits were scattered. The fifth marksman of death was a. sharpshooter; no one could escape the death of senility. “Knowledge of causes is essential before either ♦good health can be promoted or bad health and deaths) prevented,” commented Dr. Cook. “Painstaking observation and research are essential to tho gaining of knowledge. The Greeks were tho first scientific physicians, but little real progress was miado until Louis Pasteur, in the sixties of last century, made knoivn the causes and means of prevention of the bacterial diseases.” Continuing, Dr. Cook said that it was now believed that .another factor was in operation—psychosomatic or emotional causes —produced, for instance. bv good or bad news. In those cases the special agents which provoked the reaction of happiness or unhappiness, pleasure or pain, were of a special kind, being neither physical, cliemicai nor biological, but psychological in nature. Social health defended essentially on the relationship between _ the people, their work and social institutions and the place in which they lived, concluded Dr. Cook. Each adult was responsible. not only for his own he.alth but, in the ease of a parent, for the health of his children. Health could be unproved or retained by good habits with respect to fresh air, aim-bathing and air-bathing, clothing, posture, alcohol and tobacco. . AH AV. G. Black presided in view of bis association with the Physical Fitness Campaign, and a vote of thanks was passed to the speaker on the motion of Air B. J. Jacobs. Those welcomed as visitors were Alessrs T. A. Black (Chrstchureh). J. Tait (Otahulm). AV. T. Jaggard (Palmerston North). F. N. Holder (Palmerston North) and Rotarian S. Stantppo (Christchurch). Air AA r . S. AlcLean advised the club of bis resignation owing to his trans-1 fer to AA'elhngton. A motion of regret was passed. ‘