FOR BETTER HEALTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22822, 1 September 1937, Page 17

FOR BETTER HEALTH

gj r —During the past 18 months we have 'repeatedly urged upon the government of New Zealand the desirability of adopting the recommendations issued in November, by tlie Lea-nie of Nations Mixed Committee in the direction of initiating a national innuirv into the nutritional needs of the people of the Dominion. AYe have also on many occasions stressed the wisdom of the modifications suggested by the League, as to the inclusion in our medical curricula and examinations of nutritional prevention ot disease. So far, not any member of the New Zealand Cabinet "has publicly expressed himself in favour of the above measures; although one or two of our statesmen have shown their anxiety that other countries should be persuaded to adopt the League's recommendations and thereby find themselves lacking in their dietaries in certain foodstuffs which New Zealand might ho able to sell to them. Our society has also repeatedly advocated the setting up of a national health hoard, to be representative of the various State departments concerned with national health, as well as the sciences involved in the prevention and amelioration of physical and mental disability. The ideal in view is to make possible a co-ordinated (or synthetic) vision of the problems under review. In the absence of encouragement from the Government, our workers (scientists, medical men, dentists, writers, speakers, social workers) have dono their best to educate public opinion in cverv part of New Zealand; with the result that the ideas of the people are now well ahead of those of our administrators and of our orthodox medical profession as to (1) national health being a non-party issue and therefore calling for non-party administration, and (2) the possibility of the nutritional, psychological, vocational, recreational, and medical prevention or disease now having been brought into the region of practical polities (nonparty). Public opinion now being well prepared, all that is now necessary is for the Government to take the necessary scientific, fearless and non-party action. o.x KHUN OA Pn VSICAT; AND MENTAII Welfare Societj:.