THE WHITE PLAGUE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 145, 18 June 1912, Page 5

THE WHITE PLAGUE.

IS IT ON THE INCREASE ? NECESSITY FOR ADEQUATE ACCOMMODATION.

In his report to the Dunedin Hospital Board, the Medical Superintendent of the Pleasant-Valley Consumption Sanatorium drew attention to the fact that the applications for admission to the institution during the past six months had in-creased 100 per cent, as compared with previous years. For the six months of the current year, GO applications had already been received as against about 70 for the whole of the foregoing twelve months. The reason attributed by the Superintendent for the remarkable increase was the exceptionally wet weather that prevailed.

With a view to ascertaining whether there had been any such increase locally, a '• Star" reporter waited on Dr. Makgill, District Health Officer, who supplied bim with the fignre.s relating to notifications of consumption cases for the past five years. Jn 1907, the number was 100, and a year later there was an increase of only oue. In 100!) the figures dropped to 118, but rose to 137 in 1910, and again in 1911 to 177. For the year June 1311 to May 1912, the figures are 200, the heaviest for the past half decade.

■Asked for an explanation of the increase, Dr. Makgill said it was very hard to obtain accurate data as to such cases. Consumption was a very different thing to typhoid fever, for instance, the pronounced nature of which left no doubt as to the nature of the complaint. Many of the incipient phthisis cases were not reported at all. Tbe exceptionally wet weather of the past few months might have had the effect of bringing a number of the less advanced eases to a head, thus accounting for the difference in the figures.

" There is very limited accomodation for consumptives at the disposal of the medical profession," said Dr. Makgill, " and the slight increase has been quite enough to accentuate the difficulty of dealing with these cases. At Cambridge only cases in the early stages are supposed to be accommodated, but it has been necessary to send these cases in a much more advanced -state than should have gone there, siruply because there was nowhere else to send them. The Hospital -Board, it was understood, were going to provide special accommodation for consumptives. A few wards were erected at the Cost-ley Home, but they are quite insufficient, and. moreover, the site is unsuitable. Every other big hospital, and many of the smaller ones iv the Dominion have erected a sanatorium, and Auckland is the only city that has failed to face the situation. As far back as March of last year the advice of a conference of medical men was sought by the Board, and the recommendation was made that a site should be acquired in the vicinity of Auckland, but so far, I regret to say, nothing has been done."