The Otago Witness WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1927.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 47

The Otago Witness WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1927.) THE WEEK.

The Medical Congress.

"Nunquam allud natura, allud sapientla dixit.* ■xJUVBNAU •'Good nature and good sense must ever join."— hri. Only on one previous occasion, and that 30 years ago, has Dun-

edin been the scene of a Medical Congress. By

reason of the number and rank of the attending delegates the 1927 Congress of the Australian branch of the British Medical Association now in session takes an important place in the history of the city, the province, and the Dominion. It is a happy circumstance that the holding of this Medical Congress should synchronise with the opening of the new wing of the Medical' School of the Otago University.” Apart from the interest which attends the gathering together of so large a number of medical men from Australia and all parts of the Dominion there is the presence to be considered of representatives of the English and American medical fraternity. It is a notable fact that one of the legacies of benefit left by the Great War was the opportunity given to the doctors at the front to experiment in the healing art, and so improve their knowledge of the intricacies of the physical frame of man to an extent never before possible. Consequently the years immediately following the close of the war have been times of medical

experimenting, and much of it of a very daring order. This 1927 congress, therefore, is an occasion when the experimenters may compare notes, and by such a comparison decide how far the health of mankind can be improved. The note sounded in the course of the necessarily technical discussions at the several sectional meetings is the importance of preventive medicine, since the medical motto to-day is bound up in the old adage that prevention is better than cure. The congress also affords occasion for the medical profession as a whole to reply to its since doctors, of all the professional men, are certainly open to criticism —some of it justified and other the reverse. The British Medical Association is sometimes denounced as too close a corporation, but no one can deny that its aim is to exalt the ethics of its members, lifting them above the suspicion of mere moneymaking and inspiring them with an ambition to be the benefactors of the race. However much doctors are abused the fact remains that it is impossible to get on without them. Since the average layman is largely at the mercy of his medical attendant, it is of the utmost importance that the skill and integrity of that attendant shall be above suspicion. To achieve this standard is the chief reason why these medical congresses are held, and the tone and temper of the meetings and discussions so far held excite the liveliest anticipations as to so satisfactory a result being achieved.

“Physician, Heal Thyself.”

Gratification may be expressed at the fact observable in the out-

ooservame iu iue upward demeanour of the majority of the visitors in attendance at the Medical

Congress, that they are average, happy, healthy men who conform to the usual habits of life and who in their ordinary behaviour are scarcely distinguishable from the mass of the people. Medical men are supposed to be well informed upon all matters pertaining to the laws of health: it is a fair argument that if in their position they eat and drink and smoke and enjoy life as does the ordinary man, such conduct is conducive to health and is a preventive of sickness. Moreover, when these medical men come to the congress accompanied by their wives and daughters it is fair to conclude thatwives and daughters arc accompaniments to be desired and sought after. And when the programme of the Medical Congress includes social engagements such as dinners and dances and entertainments of all kinds leading to late hours and much frivolity, it must be conceded that these things in moderation, are beneficial rather than harmful. The familiar expression, “Physician, heal thyself, holds good in this connection. Jt is universally conceded that example is better than precept; and it is useless for severe moralists to denounce pleasure as one of the sins of the times when the guardians of the public health, who know or who ought to know what is good for them, are seen caught up in the whirl of pleasure and enjoyment. Evidently the medical profession is inclined to believe the proverb "which declares that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Britain and China.

The situation

in China changes from day to day, hut on the whole

the outlook is hopeful, and the fear- of active hostilities is daily dimin-

ishing. One effect of the landing of British troops at Shanghai has been to elicit a protest from Peking and to cause Mr Chen to break off his negotiations with Mr O’Malley. It says much for the desires of the British Government for peace that heed has been given, to.the Peking protest, and it is now suggested that the British troops shall be tranferred from Shanghai to Hongkong, where they will

be near at hand in case of need. It is also stated that Mr Chen is without money or munitions, a circumstance which is likely to give Britain the whip hand. The proposed withdrawal of the British forces should serve to satisfy Mr Chen’s susceptibilities and enable the negotiations to proceed on the basis of Sir Austen Chamberlain’s statement at Birmingham. And if the scheme of negotiations can at the same time be enlarged so as to take in the Peking Government so much the better for all concerned. The very fact that no one of the parties involved really wants to fight, but merely desires to secure the best possible terms of settlement, is an outstanding feature of the existing situation. Mr Winston Churchill, who on occasion can be very bellicose, is uttering sentiments as soothing as they are timely. “We regard,” he says, presumably speaking on behalf of the British Government, “the 400,000,000 Chinese as potential friends and customers. The last thing you usually do to a potential customer is to shoot him. The last thing wishable is that a potential customer should shoot you. I believe, if we are supported by the public will with patience and selfrespecting firmness, we will procure a great amelioration in the Chinese position before the end of the year.”

The Responsibilities ot Publishers.

An English publisher on holiday in tin

Dominion has been ex-

pressing himself on the standard of reading attained by the average New Zealander, giving it

as his impression that there is not enough serious reading done in the Dominion and that the popular taste runs too much iu the direction of light literature. While it is interesting to discover the views of a publisher upon popular reading, recent events arc likely to evoke an expression of public opinion in regard to publishers and their responsibilities. There was a time when the imprint of a member of the old established publishing houses was a guarantee of quality and cleanliness in the books they published: but with one or two honourable exceptions this has almost ceased to be the case. There is only too much reason to suspect that under the pressure of keen competition publishers do not take the same precautions as formerly to ensure that the books they publish are bona fide and free from filth. Not only does the tone and trend of much of the fiction published in such volumes to-day leave a great deal to be desired, but in their haste to secure big circulations publishers are too prone to give publicity to grave scandals in an anxiety to create a new sensation. The revelations in connection with Mr Hesketh Pearson and “The Whispering Gallery,” and Peter Wright and his shocking libels on the late Mr Gladstone, go to prove that publishers do not always take the precautions which the public have a right to expect of them.