TRUE HEALTH INSURANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23058, 8 June 1938, Page 17

TRUE HEALTH INSURANCE

Sir, —The feasibility of establishing a national policy of prevention of physical and mental disability in place of our present unscientific methods is now universally accepted, as a result of the persistent campaigns waged during the past few years by the Plunket Society, the Homo Science Department, the P.M.W., and other voluntary organisations and individual workers. Notably, your own leading articles have accomplished a great national service in driving home to the people the vital and urgent importance of this subject and in clinching the arguments of the exponents of prevention. In your leading article of May 24 you explainclearly that the nutritional aspect involves soil-content, plant and animal nutrition and cookery. Earlier leading articles make it plaiu that you recognise the truth that nutrition also includes reasonable exercise, fresh air, pure water and adequate sleep and rest. In connection with Professor Worley's timely proposal that immediate, coordinated action "for better health" be taken jointly by the Departments of Forestry, Agriculture and Health, it would help to clarify the position were you to define the term "health" on similar lines to those employed by you when speaking of nutrition. For example, in addition to nutrition in the comprehensive sense in which you use it, true "health" involves preventive care on the part of psychologists, gland specialists, dentists, housing experts, etc., as well as on the part of medical men. Is it not time that all these important and essential aspects of the health problem were co-ordinated in a National Board of Health, whereat our present rather pointless efforts might be synthesised and applied simultaneously to the physical and mental betterment of the nation P H. H. Brown.