Editor,
I’m sure many of us remember when we were kids, growing up singing and playing to this popular nursery rhyme “Ring a Ring o’ Roses, Pocket full of Posies……” holding hands while moving in a circle and falling to the ground.
The origin of this song has often been associated (although some may dispute it) with the Great Plague which ravaged London, England from 1665- 1666 that killed tens of thousands of the city’s population.
The ‘pocket full of posies’ , a bunch of pleasant-smelling flowers and herbs were originally thought to be preventive or an anti-plague defense but later became purely decorative for Judges and Mayors attending civic functions.
Over the years, much medical and administrative thought was given to ways in which the plague could be prevented. Some of the preventive steps taken by the authorities were, not to allow unwholesome food to be exposed and sold in any shops and markets, to encourage better sanitation and cleanliness including covering of open drains and construction of a better sewage system.
Then in later years one of the most significant preventive steps to improve the health of the people was the provision of potable water to every household throughout the country allowing people to drink water straight from the tap.
Even while great effort is being taken to improve and advance medical science to find ways and means to prevent another Black Death and to find a cure for all known human sickness even to this day, preventive measures should also be a priority while formulating a health policy in the state and country as a whole.
The articles of many prominent writers appearing in this daily from time to time and the findings of FKJGP on the poor quality of drinking water supplied to the residence of the capital city Shillong and its suburbs in particular should be a wake-up call for the government on the importance of providing potable water to the people of Meghalaya as a preventive health policy, that should be taken up on a war footing.
Giving annual financial awards for maintaining cleanliness in localities, villages and towns besides environment protection through creation of green belts for citizens’ outdoor activities, a reserved forest in New Shillong and Law Kyntang for every major towns and village or cluster of villages should be another priority for the government to implement a preventive health policy.
Finally taking a cue from a healthy elderly gentleman (L) H.G. Sanderson Diengdoh whom I met many years ago and who managed the Crinoline Swimming Pool then, his take on good health is to cultivate good habits to help counter bad ones.
Michael N. Syiem,
Shillong.
