PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELFARE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 29, 4 February 1939, Page 8

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELFARE

PHYSICAL FITNESS-

Dear People, Physical training is far from being' a twentieth-century substitute for that "elixir of life" sought for so assiduously through the ages by oldtime alchemists, sorcerers, witches, magicians and other come-to-not’i-ings. On the country, all-round physical fitness involves the study of man as a real science of the human being, from the pre-natal period, through the growth of years to adu t age. Surprisingly enough, scientific work in child-welfare in New Zealand has hitherto been concentrated upon the first 12 months of life, —as if normal growth were confined to that particular period. We have as yet no chair of pediatrics in this country. This may explain the fact that theie is a period in the development of New Zealand children which has been almost wholly neglected, so far as national health measures are concerned. In the opinion of medical and other scientists in New Zealand who are keenly interested in promoting national fitness, both physical and mental, such a chair would provide the logical basis of preventive medicine as a whole. Consider the youngster! How far does incorrect posture during schooldays influence the physical welfare of the organism? Sedentary work, carried on in a sitting posture, is harmful in spite of its light character. The long muscles of the trunk contract and strain, and deep breathing becomes imnossible. The abdominal and thoracic cavities contract. and the oxygen they contain is compressed. As a result, the oxygen intake is insufficient and circulation ls Impeded; blood tends to accumulate in the portal system and in the head and the lower limbs. (The portal •system includes the large vein carrying the blood from the digestive organs and the spleen to the liver, in the tissues of which latter organ the contents of the blood-stream are broken up. thus subjecting the nutritive matter in the blood to the action of the liver-cells before it is passed into general circulation).

How He Grows! A gradual weakening and stretchirg of the trunk, shoulder and abdominal muscles and of those sustaining the spinal column is the result. The consequence is fatigue. The trunk bends and the head sinks between the shoulders and is bowed over the table or desk, thus leading to short-sightedness and other eye troubles. The vertebral ligaments arc stretched: the sitting oosiiton thus permitted causes curvature of the lower spine. The body, being bent forward, seeks support from the elbows, while the chest is pressed against the table. To obviate the strain on the spine, it hi> at times been suggested that support should be provided in front by means of an adjustable board fixed to the edge of the table: but this device has not proved effective in restoring freedom of breathing and of circulation. He Toileth Not Nor Spins! The only effective means of preventing incorrect posture during school hours is by using the schoolbeeich as little as possible. If the child’s knees are bent, although the pelvic muscles may be relaxed, the strain is merely transferred to th* lower limbs. If the knees should De straightened, tension of the spine rc turns. It might be possible to obviate this strain and this backward displacement of the pelvis by seating children astride a suitable seat, —a practice which was insisted upon in ancient Persia and Greece. Yet Solomon in all His Glory. Some physical fitness authorities state that the ascribing of curvature and deformation to the spine during schooldays is unjust. These defects,

.they maintain, originate when the ; child first stands upright, that is, ’ during the first two years of life. At ■ any rate, what has been proved be- ■ yond any probable, possible shadow of • doubt 1s that any such abnormality ■ continues to develop during the whole I period of growth; and the degree of : development of such physical faults i caused by wrong posture often deter- » mines the subsequent extent of incapacity for work in childhood, ado- ■ iescence or adult life. i i Could Never Cure. It is plain, therefore, that the ; necessity for the establishment of a » chair of pediatrics in New Zealand is . a very urgent one. The pre-school ■ years, in particular, are the most critically important years for the . future development of the child and ; of the man. The nutrition and gen- - eral development of the pre-school [ child is progressively changing from > the infantile to the adult type, and ; any single step in this series of [ changes might easily become the ! origin of life-long disorder. Never- • lheless, the medical and scientific ' student will seek in vain, in classical treatises on physiology, etc. any chap- ■ ters voted to the needs of the prel school child. He will find, moreover. no mention of the exertions which may safely be demanded of the child- . organism, of the proper proportions of ■ physical and mental effort, of sympi toms of fatigue, or of the optimum ? conditions for growth. A Child’s Poor Growth. Dorso-lumbar kyphosis (hump- ; back) and a sagging attitude of the ’ body is the most common effect of a i sedentary life in children and in ado- . iescence. The cause is a general in- . sufficiency of the supporting tissues, • combined with wrong posture, both ’ seated and upright. Statistics of medical inspections of adults reveal . lasting traces of such physical defects, caused in the earliest years of , life, and resulting in life-long con- > stitutional weakness. The fact that statistics relating to school-children seldom mention these deficiencies is

due to the habit of school medical Inspectors reporting the most apparent defects only. By Physical Exercises Alone! Errors in diet are of particular importance during the first years of life. Too little good-class protein and a deficiency of vitamins, calcium, phosphates, iron, iodine, etc. leads to many physical and mental disabilities. These diseases—so long looked upon as inevitable and as part of the hardships inseparably linked with childhood—are of great social importance. They are initially responsible for incomplete development both in childhood and in later life. Physical training alone can neither prevent nor cure them.—Yours as ever. Authorities Synthesised.—As enumerated previously. Additionally: Dr. M. Mellanby, London; Drs. Paton and Findlay, Medical Research Council. London; Professor F. Schede, Stuttgart; Dr. H. Spitsky, Cologne.