Public Health

The Connacht Tribune, March 8, 1919.

Britain, having awoke to the fact that she was compelled to run a war that demanded an Al. man—power upon a C3, population, has introduced a Ministry or Health Bill, and Dr. Addison, who tells us he does not know much about conditions in Ireland, has promised to introduce a measure for this country, and also a Bill for the medical inspection of Irish Insurance Committees, representing 900,000 Irish industrial workers, has demanded that a separate Bill be passed for us, and that a National Conference representative of all Irish opinion be set up to deal with it. Further, that proper facilities be given for the prevention and cure of disease.

We sincerely hope that this Bill when it emerges will not result in the setting up of another cumbrous bureaucracy in Ireland to talk "public health" at us, impose petty restrictions upon our people and draw smug salaries. We are sick of this kind of thing. British legislators have a passion for accumulating departments at the public expense, and this adding to the complexity as well as to the cost of life. In every well—ordered state, life should be simplified instead of rendered more complex. If England wishes to introduce every year overlapping legislative enactments, that is her own business, but we should see to it that the Ministry of Health should include all departments that should properly fall under this head. "Prevention is better than cure" and so long as no??? slums remain in our towns and "cribbed, cabined and confined" communities are allowed to darken our agricultural districts, no real progress can be made in the matter of public health. What is required are clean, comfortable, sanitary houses, open spaces for children to play, facilitate for all classes to enjoy their leisure in health—giving exercise. If steps were taken in this direction, we should be getting at the root of the matter, and the ministrations of official medical officers would be needed less in Ireland. Humanitarian grounds alone demand that the Government should take immediate steps to solve the housing difficulty. Mr. Ian Macpherson's speech to the Municipal Authorities does not give much hope in this direction. But talking "public health" while these disease—inducing conditions are permitted to remain in our midst is not far removed from introducing Indian club swinging into a house whose residents are in the grip of fever.