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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 3, No. 6

New Zealand Association for Health Education

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New Zealand Association for Health Education

The man in the street and the woman in her home are fed daily, per medium of the amusing advertisement and commercial broad-casting, with a lot of hogwash. Much of this is harmless—in most cases it is immaterial whether one uses this antiseptic soap or that, this or that washing powder, Bilges [unclear: slinning] corsets or Hooey's reducing girdles. With patent medicines and medicinal preparations designed for internal consumption, the case is different. Gulled by misleading advertisements and pseudo-scientific rigmaroles, thousands consume mixtures which cannot cure their real or imagined ailments and may possibly do them untold harm.

The New Zealand Association for Health Education has been formed to combat this menace of quackery. The objects of the Association are (1) To promote the health education of the public (2) To investigate health problems (3) To disseminate information on the nostrum evil, quackery and allied subjects (4) To co-operate with other organizations. Public lectures, with slides and demonstrations, will be given; books and pamphlets are to be published; and answers to enquiries by individuals will be dealt with.

The New Zealand University Students' Association has promised its support to any university effort to combat the menace of patent medicines and quackery. University papers are devoting a column to answering queries received concerning any "patent medicine." Association officers will analyses the preparation, and the results of their analysis published. The commercial press dare not print anything which may [unclear: joopardiao] their advertising revenue, hence the exposure of this racket is one way in which the University may place its skilled men and its student press at the service of the public. A fitting answer to those critics who constantly condemn the universities for not doing more to benefit and educate the public instead of indulging in destructive and "subversive" criticisms.

The National Executive of the N.B. Association for Health Education represents university lecturers and research workers in Home Science, Bacteriology, Chemistry, Biology, Physiology; research chemists and dieticians, pharmaceutical chemists, and school teachers.

You Can Assist—by (a) joining the Association and sending 2/6 per annum to the National Secretary, P.O. Box 250, Dunedin (b) sending queries concerning any patent medicine to The Editor, Salient. These will in due course be answered in "Salient."