H.—3l

122

There was only a total of three under this heading. The marvel is that there are no more cases than there are: the Maori midwife is not a particularly clean individual. Class ll. — Parasitic Diseases. * Districts and Diseases. Number of Cases. Wellington, Hawke's Bay, East Coast, and South Island Districts— Worms (not differentiated) ... ... ... ... ... 3 Hydatids ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Pediculus capitis ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Cutaneous psorospermiasis ... ... ... .... . 1 Thrush ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 Auckland District ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... 53 Parasitic diseases are not as common as they ought to be, considering the state of some kaingas and the number of dogs owned by the Maoris. Class 111. — Dietetic Diseases. Districts and Diseases. 'Number of Cases. Wellington, Hawke's Bay, East Coast, and South Island Districts— Bad feeding of infants ... ... ... ... ... 7 The bad feeding of infants is a great deal worse than the figures may lead us to think. I have seen scores of Maori babies who were starved to death through ignorance. A few lectures were delivered by Miss Rochefort, Matron of Te Waikato Sanatorium, to Maori women. This is a step in the right direction, it would be well if we could get such a lady as Miss Rochefort to deliver lectures to Maori mothers throughout the Dominion. The good that would result therefrom would be incalculable. It is not the deaths of the aged we have to deplore so much as the terrible infantile mortality. I believe if infant-foods were supplied free to all indigent mothers the infantile-death rate would be greatly decreased. I have often been called in to see sick babies, and I have known that all the medicine in the world would not save them. What they needed and what they did not get were proper foods. We spend about £31,000 per annum in doctoring the ailments of Maori lands; we spend about £16,400 per annum for the care of the aged who have outlived their usefulness; we spend £3,897 upon the indigent: but upon the infants, the hope of the Maori's future existence, we spend not one cent. The pakeha quack, the Maori tohunga, the ignorant mother can kill them by overdoses of quack remedies, by immersion in cold rivers, or by feeding them on flour and water —it matters not for there is no death-certificate required, nor coroner's inquest held. I would rather save one baby than keep ten lunatics or useless aged Maoris alive. Spend one-quarter of the amount expended in old-age pensions in instructing the mothers and in buying infant-foods, and I venture to say that half of the infants which die annually will be saved. There were two cases of senilty. Class IV. — Constitutional Diseases. Districts and Diseases. Number of Cases. Wellington, Hawke's Bay, East Coast, and South Island Districts — Rheumatism ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 76 Gout ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 Rickets ... ... ... ~. ... ... ... 3 Cancer ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Tabes mesenterica .. ; ... ... ... ... Tubercular peritonitis ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Tubercular meningitis... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Phthisis ... ... ... .... ... ... ... 102 Scrofulous cervical glands ... ... ... ... ... 2 Chlorosis ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Other constitutional diseases ... ... ' ... ... ... 13 Auckland District ... ... ... ... ... ... 74 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... 288 The constitutional diseases contributed 6"773 per cent, of all the cases seen. Of these, rheumatism formed 3994 per cent., or 170 cases out of 288 seen. Phthisis formed 2 - 916 per cent, of the total cases seen. The great white plague has been and is yet very disastrous to the Maori. As I have pointed out to you before, this malady was known to the ancient Maori. He not only designated it by several names, but the god Motiti, the guardian of the chest, was ofttimes supplicated to remove its existence from the lungs of the sufferer. Its spread in modern time is due principally to huddling in stuffy whares, expectorating under mats, and the injudicious wearing of European clothing.