CARE OF HUMAN BODY

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1930, Page 16 (Supplement)

CARE OF HUMAN BODY

WHY DO YOU CALL DOCTOR? HOW HE MAY DE BEST EMPLOYED. CO-OPERATION AN ESSENTIAL. (Department of Health.) If the question wore suddenly put to < you, “What do you go to your doctor • for?” it. is likely that your immediate - answer would be “To be cured,” writes ]jr Draekcnbury, chairman of the , council of the' British Medical Assocla-j tion. It is probable, the writer goes on i to atate in hiri article, which has been, slightly altered to meet New Zealand ; ' conditions, that on reflection you would . b n <l : 6satislied with your answei, foi , it. 16 not the right one, or ought not to ; be I think that most people when they I consult their private or family doctor j are really looking not for a cure but tor ; help; and the ways in which this help can be given, and the spirit in which it should be sought, are so important both to the doctor and the patient, that 1 want to explain and illustrate , them m thio article. There is, however;' no use readiim an article on such a subject unless °it is carried into practice. Suppose that you ask your doctor to see you when .you are actually ill eien in that case you cannot reasonably expect a cure from him'. Your expectation should rather be that he will so advise and supervise your conduct ,ix the circumstances as to help you to; get well. He will direct your behaviour., watch over it skilfully and givb.sucif other assistance as he can, so that with, vour own co-operation discomforts-, shall be reduced as far as they may be, evil; consequences will be avoided and restoration to health brought about, in a, short "a time as possible.; There are perhaps a few (Lsbascs,. caused bv poison,’ of one-kind or--an-other, in* which a definite antidote can-, be administered, safely by a properly qualified person; but for the most part the doctor acts rather as a. well-inform-ed pilot who can be. trusted to locwen: the uncomfortable rolling of the ship, to avoid the rocks and sandbanks which threaten it, and to berth it safely in the habour. But the patient himself and the patient's nurses have their responsibilities as well as the doctor. He can heL, a great deal, and this is what he should be relied on to do.

It is nothing more than ordinary coni-ajon-fleimc to e.ay that, pursuing the game metaphor, the pilot should be put in charge in good time. It is clearly better to .avoid the rocks and shoals even than to .touch them, much more ’ than to around upon them. So the help of the doctor should be sought at a reasonably early period of any disorder. This has often been said of late, and no doubt the-advice is acted upon more, frequently than it used to be; yet there are a very large number of cases in •which - it is neglected. The usual excise, and it is a very reasonable one, is that no one wants to run up a doctoi a bill if it can be properly avoided. In the first place, however, almost all general medical' practitioner's will be found very willing to give all the help needed, and with all necessary care, in cases of aenuine economic difficulty, without any Immediate thought of payment, and often with little or no expectation of an appropriate fee ever being forthcoming. In the next place, if there is real need and these'other means are not available, provision is made for several kinds of help by doctors at public hospitals or clinics. • ’ ■ > .l • Moreover, it may well be that ft is an actual saving of fees to consult the doctor early rather than later. There is no very good reason, then, why this should not be done, and most people will not need to go beyond their family; doctor. This docs not mean that there; should be panic or unreasonable hurry on the appearance of the slightest bodily disturbance. There are people who ‘rush to the doctor with a haste - which is sometimes ridiculous. Nevertheless, this is a better fault than undue delay, especially, perhaps, in the ca<se of children’s illncflseH and in the case of certain symptoms such as sore throat. Here as elsewhere there is room for the exercise of coinmouser.ise. Clearly if even a mild disorder does not yield to ordinary methods and precautions or . do: s not dirsappear within, say, 24 hours, t’ . doctor's help should be sought. Even a clever and experienced doctor may, of course, be unabje to state positively the nature of every early case, but he can o ' mi do so, and he will at any rate be alive to possibilities and take -precautions accordingly. Following this same line of thought a little further, why not $ to your family doctor sometimes when you are not really ill at all, or take your child to him under such circumstances. .in order to make sure that there is nothing I netting wrong and that you are doing I all you can to prevent illness ? This is one of the best ways in which you can i use your doctor. Such a consultation as I this need not be very frequent, perhaps : not so frequent as those which many I persons have now learnt to have with I the dentist as a matter of precaution; i but occasional help in the management I of personal and domestic or industrial j health from an expert is always xaluable a.nd will, a»s a rule, be willing s 'afforded. There are three cases in which sr.cn consultationfl as those arc specially desirable or nece.ssa ry. One of these is during pregnancy. Ante-nat;fl care is now recognised as one of the chief means of preventing danger or disaster at or after childbirth. Over and ovei again its value has been proved, and there is no doubt that every prospective mother should consult a doctor of her choice; and there in no reason v>ny i every medical pnictitionci should not 'lay himself out to give expert advice in these circumstances. It is desirable that one such . consultation should take place early in the piegnancy, say. at about four or four and a half * nioiiti! l ’; but the must. essential time io, as a rule, at the thirty-second week and again, if possible, at the thirty-.-dxlli :7ml tbiriymmhth —that K at about seven ami a half monthn and twice during the last month, Changer, may take place at these periods and it is then that essential precautions may be taken to avoid serious trouble. A second case in which consultations with the family doctor may well take place, although no illness is actually present, is during infancy and early childhood, that is, before school age. To bring up a young child in the way of perfect health is by no means an e;),sy matter, and a large number of .' parents are not so fully equipped for this task as to be able to perform: it without help. ' Such help the 1 family doctor should be well able to give. If

for some special reason in either of the cases mentioned this help should not be forthcoming, the ante-natal clinic or the infant welfare centre will be available in many places, but where there is a family doctor it should not often bo necessary, to use these, and the only concern of the public health authorities is to make sure that the required help is obtained in some way. When the school age is reached, of course, medical inspection comes into play, and there is not so much chance of the beginning, or the occasion, of ill-health being overlooked. The third case in which it is well to ask help from the family doctor, although there is no recognised illness present. is i.ot so frequently mentioned. but it may be found of growing importance. Mental health is as important’as physical, both in -the child and iu the adult. The brain and nervous system are part of the body and the inind is dependent upon them. A healthy and healthful personality, which js what we are aiming at, may be spoiled by disturbances of either mind or bodv. When, therefore, the worries of life' and the deep troubles that will come seem too much for you, or when your child seems very difficult and unbalanced. you may very likely seek help from others and' among your friends [an understanding and experienced family doctor may very well be the most helpful of all. He is coming to understand the meaning, influence and importance of these things more and more Lmd may be able to do much to prevent I i heir tendencies and consequences, j In a sentence, and remembering that ■ the cases given above are merely illus- • trative, however important, you may i best use your family doctor by making (him vour friend and treating and trust!in<r him as such.' I do not mean in I the way of social intercourse, which may well be impossible or undesirable for one reason or another, but by giving him vour whole-hearted confidence _in all those many matters and by doing your best to follow his advice and to co-operate with him in whatever can be done to restore health, to prevent nl>‘ness, and to develop in all its fullness 'a normal and effective ..•’personality..