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The
Greater War, Health Department's Campaign for
National Fitness, The Menace of Venereal Disease 10
April 1945 The Tumut and Adelong Times |
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In short addresses at the commencement
of the screenings of the Health Department's moving pictures at Tumut, Adelong
and Batlow on 19th, 20th and 22nd ult., the publicity officer (Mr. A. G.
White), who represented the Department, gave some facts and figures which provided
food for serious reflection. It was shown clearly that the health
of the people is not as good as it should be in "Sunny
Australia". Disease is the true 'Fifth Columnist' and
unless we pay more attention to our health, especially the control of tuberculosis,
V.D. and other diseases, we may win the war only to lose the peace. Disease such as these flourish through
ignorance, prejudice and indifference. Knowledge is our most potent weapon in
the fight against disease. Mr. White paid a tribute to the Council
for its co-operation, especially the Shire President, the Shire Clerk and the Health
Inspector; and pointed out that statistics relating to public health suggest
the necessity for arousing the public to the urgent need for greater
co-operation with the health authorities in the provision of good
health. For example: is it satisfactory, asked
the speaker, that 11,000 or our fellow citizens are in mental hospitals
costing over £600,000 annually and that about 180,000 people should
require hospital treatment each year at a further cost of about
£1,500,000 annually; and that 40,000 persons in N.S.W. should be totally
incapacitated by sickness and have to be supported by invalid pensions, which
cost the taxpayer between 1½ and 2 million pounds a year? This means an annual outlay of
not less than four million pounds on hospitals and invalid pensions
alone, and the bill is constantly growing. The total loss due to ill-health and
the expenditure involved in the treatment of sickness, including
hospitalisation, medical and nursing services, and others of a similar
nature, together with the loss to industry through illness, etc., amount to
a colossal sum, estimated at not less than 34 million pounds annually in
New South Wales - equal to about 85 million for the whole of Australia. Necessarily, adequate provision has to be
made for the care of the sick. No one would question that. But the Health Department's aim
is to make people health-conscious and thus prevent as much as possible of
this sickness, which is such a drain on the personal and national
income. And it is unquestionable that a great
deal of it could be prevented. The films shown included "Rat Destruction", "Defeat Diphtheria", "Good bye, Mr. Germ" (T.B.),
"Man Versus Microbe";
"Subject For Discussion"
(V.D.); "The Dengue Fever
Mosquito"; "Behind The
Smile" (color film); and the wonder
documentary film, "World of Plenty". The attendances were: Tumut 600, Batlow
350, Adelong 300. At a special session for school
children the following films were also shown: "On Guard"; "The
Road To Health And Happiness"; "Goodbye, Mr. Germ"; "Louis Pasteur" and "Posture". Attendances at these sessions were; Tumut
300, Batlow 250, Adelong 250. Man's
War Against Disease In his opening remarks Mr. White said
that the greatest war in history is man's war against disease, as shown
by the following extract:- "The last Great European War, with
its appalling slaughter, bulks large in the history of the world. It has created a tremendous
impression on mankind. Yet the Great War and all other
wars are mere affrays compared with that greater war which mankind has
been fighting for ages. The greater war is the battle between germs
and men. It is never-ending. It goes on
day and night. And the people who have been
slain by the germs, innocent men, women and children, total thousands
of millions." Our first talk is to make people value good
health and to teach them how to conserve and promote this great asset. The maintenance of good health is not an
accident! it is a habit. It is the result of Practising the Rules of Good Health.
The difficulty is they are so simple.
If we could only give people "something out of a bottle" as a
panacea for all their ills how readily they would take it, no matter what the
cost. But people are prone to lose their enthusiasm
when we tell them that good health depends upon such things as:- (1)
A Good Diet,
particularly the inclusion of plenty of vegetables, fruit and milk,
especially in childhood, as shown in the color
film "Behind the Smile".
For those who are older the best
advice is to eat in moderation. Don't dig your grave with your knife and
fork. (2)
Sufficient Exercise:
One of the drawbacks of modem life is that such a large proportion
of the people are engaged in sedentary occupations. Such persons seldom, if ever, get
sufficient exercise to be well. For such, a few minutes' exercise regularly each day and a brisk walk
would do much to conserve their health. (3)
Personal Hygiene:
Personal cleanliness is a great aid to health. Soap and water are cheap - use them freely.
Such a simple thing as washing the
hands before meals would help to prevent the spread of infectious disease. (4)
Care Of The Teeth:
The film "Behind The Smile"
also shows that not only good looks but also good health depend in no
small degree upon good teeth. And good teeth depend mainly on a
diet, good mouth care and regular visits to your dentist, which would reduce sickness
and large bills at the same time. (5)
Fresh Air And Sunshine; There should be no scarcity of these items
in the good health menu of Australians. But how many homes are kept well
ventilated both by day and by night? And how many of us get sufficient
exercise in the open air and sunshine? Is it because these things cost us nothing
that we are so neglectful of them? (6)
Adequate Sleep:
This is another necessity, particularly in childhood. "Early to bed, early to
rise" may make us "wealthy or wise", but it will certainly
help to make us healthy, and
the others may follow. Self
Help In Health The preservation of good health is therefore
largely a matter of giving Nature a chance. Why not try it for six months? asked Mr. White. After all, these things are the personal
responsibility of each individual. The Health Department and the local Council
cannot do much more than provide a healthy environment and ensure pure
food and water supplies until they have the co-operation of the people. Then we can try to teach the public
how to conserve their health, as we are seeking to do by showing these
health pictures and giving these health talks. But the results will depend upon how each
person pays attention to these health rules. In other words, "Self Help
in Health." Diphtheria
Immunization Take diphtheria immunization as an example
of preventive medicine: Most people are now aware of the
value of this simple, harmless and effective method of preventing
diphtheria, and over 400,000 children have now been protected in New
South Wales. But thousands of parents are
still apathetic, and in the past ten years there have been nearly 50,000
cases and close on 2,000 deaths. Hospital treatment of these cases has cost
at least £250,000 - all in respect of a disease which, as shown in the film,
is readily preventable. Is that a satisfactory public response
to our efforts to stamp out this strangling terror? Venereal
Disease Venereal disease is another grave national
menace, causing the loss of many valuable lives each year in New South
Wales; yet this disease is preventable and, in the early stages, is curable. The film on V.D. is from England and
gives facts and figures relating to that country. It presents in a striking manner
the great medical discoveries which have made possible the conquest of
syphilis. They show how the disease is spread,
the symptoms, methods of taking blood tests and treatment by means
of injections. They show that untreated syphilis is a
terrible danger and is a common cause of heart disease, strokes, paralysis,
insanity, blindness, miscarriages, still births, invalidism and death. The downward path is usually
drunkenness, promiscuity, infection, disease and death, as strikingly
shown in one of our new Health Week posters. The only certain protection from the disease,
as shown in the Health Department V.D. chart, is chastity. That may sound a somewhat
old-fashioned remedy, but it is the truth nevertheless. The fact must be faced that V.D. is almost
always contracted through sexual contact with a diseased person. It is true, of course, that some children are born with
syphilis, and very rarely it may be contracted by kissing a person with
a syphilitic sore on the lips. Gonorrhoea may sometimes be caught by the
use of a damp towel soiled with pus by an infected person using it just
previously. But these cases are extremely rare, and
it is almost always contracted in the other way. In that respect the film is not
strictly accurate, as it shows syphilis being spread by kissing, the use
of the common drinking cup, two persons smoking the same cigarette, etc.
As already stated, a mouth
infection may be conveyed in this manner, but it is most uncommon and can be
almost disregarded as a source of infection. Disquieting facts about the disease in New
South Wales are:- (1) As seems inevitable in wartime, a marked
increase in promiscuity and consequently in the spread of the disease; (2) A large increase in notifications of
girls from 16 to 20 (over 50 per cent.); (3) That less than one-fifth of the sources
of infection can be traced; and (4) Sixty per cent, of those contacted are
found to be diseased and not under treatment. For those who are so foolish as to expose
themselves to the danger of infection, skilled prophylactic treatment immediately
after exposure will usually prevent the disease, and for those who have it
or may contact it medical science holds out excellent prospects of
permanent cure if the treatment is begun early enough and carried out
faithfully and persistently. The film very rightly allocates a routine
blood test of all expectant mothers and suggests the value of a blood
test as part of a health examination before marriage. The former would permit of the
treatment of the mother and thus prevent that greatest of all tragedies - the
birth of syphilitic children. The latter would also help to
prevent the, spread of infection to an innocent partner. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis - another disease which
is curable if diagnosed soon enough, is causing over 1,000 deaths
annually in New South Wales, most of them among people in the prime of
life. What this disease costs the nation in
money, in invalidity, in suffering, no one knows. The films show clearly that this is a disease
of poverty, bad housing and under-nourishment. They show that all young persons
belonging to T.B. families should be X-rayed annually between 15 and 25
years. This would disclose whether their
lungs are diseased before there are any symptoms and afford them the
best chance of complete recovery by rest, good food and appropriate
treatment in a sanatorium. Even the simple health rules given earlier,
if heeded and practised, would greatly reduce
the incidence of this and other diseases. Success
Of Baby Health Centres The success of the Baby Health Centres
is something of which the Department is naturally proud, and in this connexion
the speaker paid a warm tribute to the work of the C.W.A. in providing and
maintaining premises and equipment for a large number of Baby Health Centres
throughout the State. The local Centre is undoubtedly proving
a boon to mothers and all should avail themselves of the value of sound mothercraft
in rearing healthy babies. The Department now conducts 240 of these
centres and they undoubtedly represent the most effective example of preventive
medicine yet attempted in Australia. Last year the total attendances for
the first time exceeded a million (1,051,393), while 94,000 individual mothers
are taking their babies to the Centres for advice. And the result? As the picture
shows, the infant death rate has been halved in 20 years. The gastro-enteritis wards at the Chilren's Hospital which, less than ten years ago,
used to handle up to 500 cases or more of this disease in infants per annum,
with up to 150 deaths, have been practically closed up for the past few years. Similarly, the Lady Edeline Hospital for sick babies established at
Vaucluse 20 years ago by the Government was finally closed several
years ago and converted into a "Tresaillian"
Mothercraft Home. Here, instead of sick babies, the
Baby Health Centre Sisters now receive their special training in mothercraft,
and mothers are taught how to overcome difficulties in breast-feeding their
babies. What a transformation! In conclusion, on behalf of the Department,
the speaker paid a tribute to the Council, the Town Clerk, the Health Inspector,
the Press, theatre proprietors, the schools, and all who had generously co-operated
in making the screenings a success. |