LIVING LONGER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21503, 29 May 1933, Page 6

LIVING LONGER

OLD NEW ZEALANDERS SOME NOTABLE INSTANCES SCIENTIFIC ENLIGHTENMENT Careful newspaper readers can hardly fail to notice the many references that are made nowadays to old residents of Auckland and to the great age that numbers have attained. Auckland boasts one centenarian, Captain W. J. New by, of Grey Lynn, who fought under Garibaldi and who had bis 300 th birthday on March 26 last. Mr. Thomas Inger, of Tort Albert, known as "the Father of the Kaipara," is even older, having reached 102 on March 19. An old resident of Onehunga, Mrs. Eliza Ness, who died in March, failed by only a few weeks to reach her century. Major John Whitney, of Auckland, founder of the Colonial Ammunition Company, is approaching his 97th year, and Mr. Philip Le Quesne, the oldest resident of Hamilton, is 96. Xo mention of long-lived New Zealanders would be complete without Archbishop Redwood, of Wellington, who at 94 is the oldest Roman Catholic prelate in the world. The archbishop not long ago undertook a trip to Dublin for the last Eucharistic Congress, and visited London and Rome. Another notable figure is Sir Arthur Dudley DobBon, the "grand old man" of Christchurch, who is halo and active at 91, in spite of early hardships as a pioneer surveyor in Westland in the sixties, when he discovered Arthur's Pass. Expectation of Lile That so many old people should bo found in the Dominion is not surprising when it is remembered that Ne*« Zealand has the lowest death-rate iv the world. On the evidence of statistic no country can show a better average expectation of life; in fact, from th<> life insuranco point of view, New Zea-< land is probably the best country in the world. The record in this respect has steadily improved for a long time. Forty years ego a baby boy might expect 55£ years of life and a baby girl 58 years. The latest available figures, those of 1921-22, are 62$ /years for males and 65} years for females. If a New Zealand child survives the now greatly lessened risks of infancy and reaches the age of five, it may expect to live to 67 if a boy and 69 if a girl.

New Zealand has claimed much credit for reducing her infantile death-rate to the world's lowest figure, 35 per thousand births, compared with 90.6 in the years 1881-85. To have lengthened the average span of life by about seven years in four decades is also no mean achievement. In tha main, medical science, hygiene and education have been responsible for the improvement. Epidemic diseases have been checked. With modern antiseptic surger\\ operations which used to he undertaken only as a last resort are now performed as a matter of routine. Diseases which meant almost certain death, such as diabetes, have been robbed of nearly all their terrors. Causes Identified What is even more important, certain bodily conditions, particularly of the mouth, throat and digestive system, have been identified as causes of general ill-health. By treating them successfully, the medical profession has lifted an incalculable burden of suffering and disability from thousands. Along with all this, the population as a whole has learned a great deal about hygienic and healthy living. Diet is better understood, and so are the benefits /? of sunshine, fresh air and sensible clothing. Local authorities and public health officials have played their part by promoting sanitation. The Dominion's fine hospital S3'stem has brought medical and surgical treatment within,the reach of all, and statistics show that it is being increasingly used by the people. All these improvements have helped to increase the proportion of old people in an average New Zealand community. They have also lightened the burden of pkl age, so much so, indeed, that a man or woman of 70 or even 80 may often be seen carrying his or her years very lightly. The times no longer encourage a dignified inactivity in people who have passed what used to be called the allotted span. There is every reason to look forward toward an age in which, if longevity is an unqualified boon, New Zealanders should be happy indeed.