HEALTH OF THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13938, 21 December 1908, Page 4

HEALTH OF THE CHILDREN.

TUBERCULOSIS IN NEW ZEALAND. Dr. Mason, chief health officer for the Dominion, contributes an article to "Tuberculosis in Childhood," a work just issued, which comprises essays by some of the highest medical experts in the w arid. i In the course of -his article Dr. Mason says: — One '< disquieting feature Which' our vital statistics clearly set out is. that of the total number of persons who died last year from tuberculosis 61 per cent, were New Zealand-born. This at first sight seems a complete answer to those who assert that if we could keep out all persons suffering from consumption from oversea our death-rate would fall to a very low figure. It has to be remembered, however, that a very large proportion of our population are not New Zealanders born, and therefore a correction has to be made in order that a true estimate of the vulnerability of the New Zealand-born towards tubercle can be arrived at. When this correction is made it is shown that in comparison with those now living in the Dominion, but who were born elsewhere, the product of the soil, so lo speak, has a greater power of resistance.; The,census of 1906 showed that the New Zealand-born formed 68 per cent, of the population, so that we have a death-rate from phthisis amongst them of 5.51 per cent., as against a general death-rate of 6.21 per cent. ; This is what one might expect; but still the fact that 61 per cent, of those., who were born in the Dominion died of' consumption in 1906 is one which has occasioned concern. We have no general system of medical inspection of school children, but I am in hope that soon a scheme, which has been outlined, considered, and generally.; approved by the medical : and teaching professions, will take actual form. Roughly speaking, we have some. 127,000 children attending our State schools, and if we assume that about 10 per cent, -of them are below par in physical health, this would leave, say, 11,450 children, who would require careful medical; assessment. 5 : It is not expected that the teacher should attempt to make any diagnosis; ■'~ simply Elaee a mark against the child's name, and and the list to the medical inspector when he visits the school. Such a system would, course, fall far behind in its completeness those practised ■[■ in Britain, America, and the Continent, ' but it seems to me that it would ■ help greatly in checking the incidence of tuberculosis and other diseases .ia, .the, early, years of life.'f^