PENCILLIN DRUG.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 140, 24 March 1944, Page 3

PENCILLIN DRUG.

LIMITED SUPPLY AVAILABLE. TREATMENT OF URGENT CASES. (P.A.) ’ WELLINGTON, This Day. The Minister of Health (the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer) to-day announced that a limited quantity of pencillin has become available to New Zealand. Immediately pencillin became avaih able it was utilised for the treatment of a few of the most urgent cases, and now that a further supply has come to hand the larger public hospitals have been notified by telegram that they should send particulars of any suitable patients to whom the substance might be of great advantage. The Government has been in close contact for some considerable time with authorities overseas who are responsible for the manufacture and com trol of pencillin, and made representations in order to obtain it for New Zealand. The manufacture of peneiliin is an extremely difficult and costly process, and the small quantities hitherto available have been largely confined to the treatment of members of the armed forces and to the treatment of cases of an acute Character where pencillin offered the best hope of recovery. The substance lias mot so far been synthetically produced, and until this is feasible or until the process of manufacture can be greatly simplified it seems unlikely that it will be generally available to more than a very small percentage of those patients who might be expected to benefit from it.

Contrary to popular belief, pencillin is not a cure-all. There are a considerable number of diseases on which it has no effect whatever, and others which can be as well treated by sulphonamide di’ugs, hut' there are a few infections, particularly those of an acute nature, in which pencillin treatment effects a dramatic cure after sulphonamides have failed.

THE ASHBURTON REQUISITION The Medical Superintendent of the Ashburton Public Hospital (Mr A. J. Mason) said to-day that he had been notified that a limited supply of pencillin was available, but he had not requisitioned any as there were no patients at the hospital whom it would benefit.