A NATIONAL HEALTH WEEK.

ITo THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sia,—On behalf of the Committee we desire to ask for the help of your readers in the establishment of a National Health Week. The Health Week movement is inspired by a recognition of the fact that the improvement of health conditions is approaching the limit of possible progress on existing lines, and that no further advance can be expected until the people themselves have been stirred to take an active part in promoting it. The health of the community depends as much on the man himself as on his sur- roundings. Personal hygiene, cleanliness, rational feeding, and other matters within the control of the individual are no less im- portant than the work of the sanitary authorities. What now has to be done therefore is to arouse in each individual citizen an

active and intelligent interest in his personal health.

We may be asked, " Why a Health Week P Is it not better to rely on continuous steady work throughout the year ?" The answer is that we need both. There is at present no driving force behind this question of health. Any cause which depends for its vitality and force upon public opinion must have something definite on which that public opinion may crystallize, some oppor- tunity for focusing attention and rekindling the enthusiasm of its adherents. The Churches have their great anniversaries, the political parties their general elections and other occasions for emphasizing their particular views. Health workers have no such rallying points, with the result that the public take far less interest in matters of health than they do in the least of a dozen other questions of far less real importance.

We hope during Health Week to make health (in its personal

and public aspects) the chief concern of every man and every woman in the country who takes an interest in public affairs. We propose to say to them, " Now is the time to look into your local health conditions, your death-rate, your zyrnotio disease-rate, your housing question, the health and physique of the children in your schools. We ask you to look carefully into these matters, and if you see anything which is not as it ought to be to do your part to remedy it and support your local authority in doing theirs." If wo can only get people to concentrate their attention on questions of health the rest is easy. They will refuse to tolerate a state of things under which 106 of every 1,000 children die in their first year when they know that the rate need not exceed sixty. The experience of Huddersfield shows how rapidly the infant mortality-rate may be brought down when once public opinion has been focused upon it.

We are not a new society, and we do not compete or clash with any. Our Committee is in fact mainly composed of officers of the leading health societies, nominated by those societies as their representatives. The Health Week celebrations in each centre will be under the control of a local committee, comprising repre- sentatives of the local health authority, the health societies, the friendly societies, the clergy, and others who are in a position to influence public opinion. Several of these committees have already been formed in the metropolitan boroughs and the great towns.

The first Health Week will begin on Sunday, April 28th next.

The extent to which it is observed will no doubt depend very much on local conditions ; in a country village there may be only a single sermon on the Sunday ; in towns a full week's programme, with towns' meetings, lectures, exhibitions, meetings of voluntary health societies, and organized visits to municipal works.

A word as to our methods. It is easy to get up a scare ; but we

have steadily set our faces against anything in the nature of sensationalism. We attack no one. We do not ask people to lash themselves into a frenzy. We discard, in short, all the aids which are commonly relied on by the promoters of a popular movement. Health Week is thus at a groat disadvantage in competing for attention with other questions which are uppermost just now in the public mind, but we ask the Press and all who have a share in moulding public opinion to make our cause known and to join us in arousing a great body of sober public opinion pledged to the prevention of preventable diseases and the sweeping away of every unnecessary hindrance to health.

We will not encroach further on your space, but will ask all who desire to assist in improving the national health and promoting national efficiency to communicate with the Hon. Secretary, National Health Week Committee, 28 Fleet Street, E.C.—We are,

sir, &c., A. Bosrocx HILL, Chairman National

Health Week Committee.

W.

OWEN SEAMAN,

ScnooLine, for the Agenda Club.