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BOARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEPARTMENT The Board of Health, the Medical Council, the Dental Council, the Medical Research Council, the Nurses and Midwives Board, the Opticians Board, the Physiotherapy Board (formerly the Masseurs Registration Board), the Plumbers Board, the King George V Memorial Fund Board, and the Dominion Advisory Board of the New Zealand Federation of Health Camps (Inc.) continued their activities during the year. Preliminary steps, were also taken to set up the Occupational Therapy Board under the powers granted by Parliament in the Occupational Therapy Act, 1949. In general the work of these Councils and Boards has been a logical development or continuation of their activities during previous years. Arising out of information submitted to it, the Medical Council conducted an inquiry into allegations made against a certain medical practitioner. As a result it reached the conclusion that the practitioner concerned had been guilty of infamous conduct in a professional respect. Accordingly the Council has applied to the Supreme Court for an order for the removal of this practitioner's name from the Medical Register. While it is difficult to differentiate between the various research projects being undertaken by the Committees of the Medical Research Council, one project which has been directed by Dr. F. H. Smirk seems worthy of particular mention ; this is the treatment of high blood-pressure with hexamethonium iodide, a preliminary report upon which has been presented to the Council by its Clinical Medicine Research Committee, of which Dr. Smirk is Chairman. The question of the early provision of facilities for virus research, to a degree sufficient to meet the immediate requirements in respect of our New Zealand problems, has also received the attention of the Medical Research Council. VISITORS FROM OVERSEAS During the past year distinguished visitors to New Zealand from the health point of view have included — Dame Katherine C. Watt, Chief Nursing Adviser, Ministry of Health, England. Sir Henry Dale, formerly Director of the National Institute for Medical Research, England, and a former member fo the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. Professor G. W. Pickering, Professor of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, London (Sims Travelling Professor). Dr. H. G. Wallace, Deputy Director-General, Department of Public Health, Sydney, Australia. In addition, as noted in the report of the Director, Division of Dental Hygiene, a. Dental Mission from the United Kingdom visited New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTATION ABROAD During the year New Zealand was represented at the following overseas gatherings connected with health matters : (1) Second World Health Assembly, held in Rome during May, 1949, by Dr. L. S. Davis, Director, Division of Child Hygiene, Department of Health, as Chief delegate, and Mr. T. P. Davin, of the Office of the High Commissioner, London, as alternate. (2) International Cancer Research Commission, held in Paris in July, 1949, by Sir James Elliott. c 3) ILO Conference of Experts on Pneumoconiosis, held in Sydney in March, 1950., by Dr. D. P. Kennedy, Industrial Medical Officer, Department of Health.

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