COLONIAL VISITORS AT THE TEMPERANCE HOSPITAL.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6545, 14 September 1886, Page 3

COLONIAL VISITORS AT THE TEMPERANCE HOSPITAL.

On the invitation of the Managing Board of the London Temperance Hospital, Hampstead road, about fifty of the delegates to the British and Colonial Temperance Congress just terminated assembled in that institution on July 17tb, when they were entertained at breakfast. Mr T. Cash, Chairman of the Board, presided, and gave a description of the Hospital and its work. Accommodation existed for 120 beds, which would be provided as soon ac the income justified the necessary annual expenditure, reckoned at —6000. At present only 70 in-patients could be received, and the liabilities still remaining on the building operations could not be estimated at less than £6000. The hospital was established to test the value of medical and surgical treatment free from alcohol either in diet or as a drug. A power of administering alcohol was, however, left in the hands of the visiting staff, and during the existence of the institution it had been exercised three times, but in no case with the desired benefit to the patient. Down to April 30th, 1886 —twelve years and seven months—the in-patients were 38.6 and the deaths 183, a mortality of C.7 per cent., after deducting the cases still under treatment. It was thus clear that the results of the institution compared satisfactorily with those of other hospitals. The causes of death, as explained in the annual reports, afforded no reaeon for believing that the use of alcohol in any case would have saved life, while the characteristics of other cases, many of them of the greatest gravity, had satisfied the medical staff that the non-use of alcohol had been an aid to recovery or relief. Though the Temperance Hospital bore the name of " London," its inmates came from all parts of the United Kingdom, and even from other countries. Out of the 3846 in-patients alreidy mentioned those described as non-abstainers numbered 1684. Since October, 1873, the out-patients had been 22,790. As the hospital occupied an entire department of the temperance movement, the Board hopefully appealed to all friends of temperance throughout the world for support, especially as a large addition to the income was absolutely neteeaary. The Hon. Beuben Ayliff (Cape Colony) proposed a vote of thanks to the Board. The Bey. D. V. Lucas, of Montreal, supported the vote of thanks, and said the colonists now in England would be killed with kindness if they did not get away sx>n. They were compelled to eat all along—meals four or five tunes a day—so that they could hardly get a bit of sleep, and their stomachs had been forced to such activity as to leave very little chance for their brains. With regard to the Temperance Hospital, he believethat its way of treating patient, was the best, and he was glad to state that the majority of Canadian doctors held the same view. Surgeon-Major Fringle, of the Bengal Army, testified from his own experience, both personally and among large bodies of troops in India during thirty years, that teetotalism was the best thing in disease as well as in health. Dr. J. Edmunds, Senior Physician of the hospital, described the arrangements of the institution, which Mr George B. Parkin (New Brunswick) warmly praised. Mr M. T. Collins, of New South Wales, regretted that medical men in thatcolcny were not in general advocates of temperance; but he re joiced that in this hospital he had been furnished with facts and figures to effectually combat the oldfashioned prejudice on the subject. Dr. Covernton, President of the Board of Health ot the Province of Ontario, was not prepared to say that Canadian medical men would refuse to administer alcohol under any conditions. They recognised fully, however, that greater restriction of its use had been beneficial. Mr W. Hutchinson (Victoria) put the vote of thanks to the guests, who cordially passed it. The Bay. S. D. Btnbbs, Mr J. H. Baper, Bey. Dr. Dawson Burns, Dr. Duffield, Mr J. Taylor (President of the National 1 emperance League), and Mr B. I Bae (St cretary) also took part in the proI ceedings, which terminated with an inspection of the hospital by the guests.