THE GLUTTED EARTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 186, 10 August 1935, Page 7

THE GLUTTED EARTH

(By “Silent ruler, "j Dear People,- Not only from the ientific point of view, but equally

from the Christian outlook, the brain is the most important part of lhe whole body; more important than the sight, more important than any of the li.-.bs. On the face of things, however, it would almost appear that mentally sound, normal children are so unnecessarily numerous in New Zealand that such youngsters as do not quite reach the normal mental standard may negligently be left to the slow deterioration of widespread glandular troubles whose inevitable results are definitely weak cued intellect and sapped morale. Prominient medical scientists in all parts of the world are appealing to the Church and to the community at large to cooperate in the establishment of universal recognition of the importance of according to children .suffering from childish ills such simple and timely treatment as may enable them to develop into healthy-minded, useful members of society. It goes wtibout saying that upon the setting riglr. of the greater proportion of the maladjustments of childhood depends the lessening of the numbers of inmates of our hospitals, inVmaries and mental institutions. In the opinion of conservative specialists in mental diseases, something approaching fifty per cent, of all cases of nervous and mental disordei could be prevented by the timely ap plication, largely in childhood and adolescence, of knowledge already available. Backward Children. The movement recently inaugurated in New Zealand for the wellarc of crippled children is one that is righlij supported by all sections ot the com inanity. Yet a visitor from the celestial legions—nay, even God Himself, looking compassionately upon this struggling world—might well ask: “Why the discrimination in favour of the lesser evil?” Mental disability, even to a slight extent, is a greater drawback to the individual and to the nation than physical malformation. The known cases o£ inaniiilritio.i among New Zealand children do not by any means indicate the total of the potentially backward youth of the Dominion. Goitrous children come under the true classification of backward subjects. Dr. Herbert Rubin, U.S.A., states that sub thyroid ami sub-adrenal individuals ex Dibit in their physical developments, as well as in their mental status, all the earmarks of backwardness and instability. Endocrine specialists of every nation testify to the fact that goitrous children arc almost uniformly retarded in height and in physiological develop meat and that their general intellectual powers are noticcabley below the aver age. In a country such as New Zea land, where the percentage of goitrous children is abnormally high, the truth is patent to all that the physical, intellectual and spiritual standards of the race cannot attain the highest levels so long as the sourge of goitre remains unchecked. Details given by Bulletin No. 45 for 1934 (Goitre in School Children) show that from 1928 te 1933 the number of goitrous children ot. twelve years of age, both girls and boys,, more than doubled itself during the five years in question. In the year 1928 tiie number of goitrous females of five years of age more than trebled itself as among girls of sixteen in the same year; and in the year 1933 the number of goitrous females of five years of age was practically five times greater than than in 1928. Further, this fearful increase of goitrous females as at five years of age in 1933 again nearly doubled itself as among g’rls of sixteen in the same year. Rule-of-thumb Methods.

Upon the distinguishing methods adopted to cope with any specific national problem during any particular period, may be based a fairly accurate estimate of the level of thought at tained at that time. We of the twem tieth century may at any rate congratulate ourselves upon having discarded to some extent the old rule-of-thumb methods prevalent in many branches of public affairs in the past, and upon having attained a degree of wisdom surpassing that (for instance) of King David of Scotland, who in 1150 A.D.

ordained that the Scottish inch should be the measure of the thumbs of three men—“an mcrkle man, an nan of

measurable stature, and an lyttel man.” In the realm of child-culture, however, many quaint old rule-of-thumb methods are still in favour. If a child is well enough to eat and to play; if he is not ailing sufficiently to feel unhappy about himself, he is looked upon as fit and well. Such a child may constitute a neglected unit of the 20,900 New Zealand children who suffer from malnutrition; he may be one of the 34,UUU goitrous children at present attending our schools; he may constitute an insignificant link in the chain (some 25,000 strong) of sufferers frbin enlarged ton sils; or he may form part of that band of 40,000 New Zealand youngsters who are afflicted with dental trouble. “He is doing ewcll enough,” says old rule of-thumb, “Let him be!” Consistent fidelity to rule-of-thumb methods in con uoction with the health of children on the part both ot' parents and of the country in general will infallibly pro duce a glutting of our own portion of the earth's surface by a surfeit of physically and mentally backward children, of whom, in some live years’ time, between 70,000 and 100,000 will be definitely goitrous. Don’t Blama the Government! In its School Medical Service, New Zealand possesses one of the fines I in st rumen ts yet evolved for the care of the health of children. Its director, together with its permanent staff of ten school medical officers and kweni.v six school nurses ensure three complete physical examinations per annum to each and every school-child in the Dominion. It is per medium of our excel lent school medical service that in numerable concealed causes of ill health and disability are unveiled and re vealed, but not always eliminated. The weak point of our present system is that it possesses insufficient authority for safeguarding and rescuing il> “cases” from inattention Io and neg leet of its expert diagnoses and recoin inundations. Particularly in recent sears, parents have found themselves unable, for reasons ot finance, to g“ ■’ attention Io the warnings of the school medical stall' in respect of the physical shortcomings of their children. The powers of school clinics must include not only the fullest enquiry into but also the most effectual action in respect of nutrition, teeth, eyesight and other important aspects of the. general health of children; ami all this must, be done on a. national scale ami at the nation s expense, if we are to maintain our reputation for thinking iu terms ot democracy and of equality of opportunity. Bo far as the future of the race

is concerned, it has alreadv become more than necessary in New Zea kind Io abandon the pseudo commercial ap praisal of health problems; it has al ready become more than necessary to adopt the only true ami sincere atli tude: that every little child is to be valued as a* indivdual unit Of potential spiritual wealth. Not any amount of money, however large; not any amount I of time, however valuable; not any amount, of care ami attention, however exacting, can be too great, for drdica lion to the scientific ami systematic

iif'aiinx <»t’ tl“-‘ generation of our lace that great e<lili<-e which it is our I responsibility and our privilege to raise Ito the glory of (io<l. Yours sincerely, i (To be < outinued j, i