THE DISEASES OF WOMEN

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 276, 19 November 1913, Page 8

THE DISEASES OF WOMEN

AT AUCKLAND HOSPITAL. APPOINTMENT OF SPECIALIST PROPOSED. At the Hospital Board meeting last night Mr. P. M. M.iekay reintroduced a matter in which he! had particularly interested himself, but which had been deferred owing to his recent visit to Wellington. He moved that a surgeon be appointed to the eUU'F who should have charge of the cases of the diseases of women. He pointed out that in all the big hospitals at Home a surgeon, styled the obstetrical surgeon, as distinct from the general surgeon, undertook such cases. Under the system in vogue in the Auckland Hospital each of the four surgeons in turn took charge for six months of the surgical -beds, thus it might happen that the female patients might be under a surgeon who had not made a special study of the diseases oi women, or who had never performed a major operation on a woman before. It depended entirely on fortuitous, circumstances wiat skill was brought to bear on these cases, and as gynaecology was a department of surgery in which (by the Medical Committee's own showing) great advances had been made in recent years, it was in the interest of the patients, the nurses, and the public generally that such cases should be under a specialist. Under the recent proposed allocation of beds recommended by the Medical Committee that one surgeorf should take charge of the diseases of women, the appointment was practically that of a gynaecologist, but there was no guarantee that a man specially experienced in gynaecological surgery would be selected. He urged that, the importance of the subject to the hospital warranted the appointment of a gynaecologist in addition to present staff of sur-

geons. The principle tnat had moved the Board in the setting up of a children's department applied in this case still more 6trongly. The members of the Board generally thought that more information on the subject -was required to enable them to discuss it adequately, and it was decided to refer the matter to the hwioran- staff Jot Jttgtat. ~ ■'■ -. .