HERO NURSES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9869, 15 January 1918, Page 9

HERO NURSES.

When the Houses of Parliament gave their thanks “to the women in the medical and other services auxiliary thereto for their unfailing courage and endurance.” the Legislature voiced the gratitude of the Empire to tho whole bodv oi nurses, onU- a. small proportion of whom it has been possible to remward personally (says a London paper). Yet the number of devoted women to whonr the King has presented individual oisunc.tiocs runs into four figures, while some thousands have received . that ■ ratner nebulous recognition of being “mentioned in dispatches”—an honour which m Franco carries with it a valuable medal. All but a few of the nurses given British decorations have received the Royal Bed Cross, a crimson-enamelled badge, which was instituted in 18S3 by Queen Victoria, whose features appeared on one side, for bestowing upon ladies brought to her notice for acts of mercy_ in attending to the eick or wounded in of war. Recently the "War Office issued a list of several hundred ladies upon Whom the Red Cross had been bestowed, and nearly every investiture at Buckingham Palace sees additions to .the group of nurses who have received the distinction from tho King’s hands. A more coveted and much rarer honour Wop by women , during tho past three years is the Alilitarv Medal. Although this silver badge “For bravery in the field” has been given to many thousands of non-comnlissioncd officers and men since it was founded eomo eighteen months ago. there are so few instances of its bestowal upon .the other sex that it might well be-styled the women's Victoria Cross. The King, indeed, distinguishes the occasional women recipients of tiro Military Medal from tho soldiers who have gained it, for they are included with the officers at the Palace investitures.

Unfortunately, the deeds for which they are awarded are not announced, as in the case of the majority of the decorations conferred upon officers and men. and in only onb or two instances is the record of a recipient known. Up to the present the honour has Keen bestowed upon twenty-nine women of the British Empire—for it can be awarded both to subjects and foreign persons—and of these all but three belong te the various nursing services. . It was only in the summer of last year that the. authorities had the inspiration to open the Alilitary Medal to “the women ih the medical and other services,” as the Prime Minister’s resolution to be moved 'to-morrow .expresses it. To gain tho distinction they have to he specially recommended by-a Commander-in-Chief in. tho field for ■showing “bravery and, devotion under fire,’’ , , Th® three “civilians’ who have shared the honour With the nurses are Aliss Lollisa Ndlah, Who risked her life in Dublin during the Irish rebellion to .Jielp .some wounded British, soldiers; Mies Florence Wjllihms, and Lady Dorothd Folding. 'The last-rhehtioniSd (Who hag now. by the way, changed her name (by. marriage) is the heroic daughter of the Eari of.. Denbigh,, who performed such splendid services for the Allies in Belgium diiring the early stages of the war. Lady Dorothie, Who is actually tho first on the list of British .women Mil Italy Medallists, was -at the time •WOrkifig with Bf Hector Munro’s field ambulances, and for some months she toiled day and night, tending the sick and injured in the cellar ox a house dangefOUsly close to the Belgian trenches. ■At last, the authorities insisted that, 'Lady Dorothy and Her brave companions must move further hack—and only jiist ih tihte, fot ten 'minutes after they had f©moved their belongings a German shell fell with a crash upon the house. The list of plucky women would not be complete without the inclusion of the haiile of “the Heroine of Loos, Mademoiselle Emilienno Moreau, tho eighte6n-yeai‘-old FretiOh girl who was given our women’s V.C.. before any ot ovtr bwh brave KurSes .had.been gazetted. The spirited girl, whs hot* content With .helping wounded'. British troops under fire when Loos was retaken; she killed several Germans with grenades and a revolver. PROPOSED AUNXSTRY OF HEALTH FOB ENGLAND. A week oi So Ago. at a great AVouijn s Conference, stress was laid upon the fact that, the establishment of a Ministry or Health on the linos of. the. scheme witn. which Lord Hhoftddo’s name has, lor so long been associated, ~is a matter of great national necessity, says Eons Grey in an English paper. Women, it was said, should bo represented Upon this Ministry, and Lady Frances Balfour went even further than this iff advocating that tho first Health Atiuister should be a -woman.', . . Not long after the report Of this ferenoe appeared in the papers came the Prime Minister's announcement that if would, he impotable .to form a Ministry of Health in. war time. This decision Was imparted te a deputation Which waited upon, him for the purpose of advocating the very ’much needed; reform ih the administration of tho health laws, which the establishment of a Health Ministry would involve. : “We are .all very disappointed at Mr, Lloyd George's decision.” remarked Dr. Jane Walker, the well-known specialist on tuberculosis, at, Harley street the other day. Dr. Walker was one of the most effective speakers nt the Women’s Conference; for years she ha& had the reform of tho health Jaws very near at heart.

“It was only on .July 30th last that Lord R.honf’Ha told us AXmistry of Health was coming.” she continued, “and now comes the announcement that this very much needed reform is to be Shelved..

"Do I think a Health Alinistry is a national necessity? Aloc.t ephoticallv I do. .and, what Is mere. 1 think the need for its establishment is immediate. A Alinistry of Health is really needed because all the previous methods of health law administration have been found wanting. In peace time we bore with equanimity the evils of overcrowding, proventible infectious disease, and an abnormal high rote of infant mortality. But now that we are faced with the loss of national existence it is time we realised that healthy lives are the biggest asset of the nation, and that everything possible to promote the health of .the community should bo done.

"At present the methods, adopted arc both chaotic ..ami overlapping. Would you believe that no less than at least seven departments have to deal with health questions? They are the Local Government Board, the Board of Education, the Insurance Commission, the Homo Office, tho Board of Trade, the Board of Agriculture, and the Privy Council. which deals with the registration and duties of midwives!

- "It would seem that Questions of health administration are quite outside tho scope of some of these departments. The need for centralisation and concentration is therefore strikingly apparent. I should have said that ten Government departments are more or less connected with health administration, for to those which I hare already enumerated may be added Hie Ministry of Munitions, the Board of Control of MentaF Defectives, and the Ministry of Pensions. "In Lord Bhondda's hill to diminish infantile mortality the whole Ministry of Health idea is, outlined. For the institution of such a Ministry would be primarily to helo the babies, to put an end to the state of affairs by which over 1000 babies’ lives are lost to the country every week. It is curious the difference of opinion that exists in regard to the causes of this abnormal infantile mortality, opinion which is coloured by the particular work or research on which various authorities are engaged. For instance, the local Government Board puts it down to defective sanitation, tho Board of Education to I maternal ignorance, and the Eoyal Commission on Venereal Diseases to syphilis, whilst Dr Brend, in his book on ‘Health and the State/ says that the high infant death rate in London and other largo cities is due to smoke. '"There is no doubt that all of these are contributory causes. Well, it would be the doty of tho Ministry of Health

to deal with and ameliorate all those conditions -which not only take their,, terrible toll of, child life, but ‘ which also have such an adverse influence-up-' oil the health of the people in general. ."The establishment of a Health Ministry would necessarily mean ,a very great deal Of organisation which would have to be done gradually, and in which women could give very efficient help. Its administration would first of all be in tho hands of three main departments—* i.e., the Local' Government Board, tho Insurance Commission, and the Board of Education, and these would gradually absorb the health work of all the other departments. The administration would be both central and local, and in reference to the latter general medical practitioners will play a very important part. , "When tho Ministry of Health has (been well established the, first and allimportant step in preserving the health of the nation will have been taken. As a result of sound and efficient administration. slums will be done away with, the housing question will meet with its full share of attention, and no one will be expected to work for anything. less than a living wage. All these muchdesired reforms can be accomplished. It is only a question of knowledge, organisation, time, and trouble. It seems to me, then, as it seems to all who have tho welfare of the nation at heart from the point of view of the health and well-being of its subjects, that the establishment of a Ministry of Health is a thing that cannot wait.”