NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8482, 13 May 1893, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

The monthly meeting of the Canterbury Branch was held in the Public Library, on May 11th; Dr. Irving (President) in the chair.

At the April meeting two new members were elected, and a report on the outbreak of typhoid on the Hinemoa read. This report showed that the cases had caught the infection in Wellington. In the ensuing discussion it was shown that a few streets in Sydenham furnished the greater part of typhoid cases in Christchurch. Out of 14 cases admitted to the Hospital 11 came from Sydenham district. The surgical discussion set down for the evening was postponed to the next meeting and medical papers read. Congress matters were then discussed, the delegate giving his report. Dr. Symes explained his remarks re Christchurch Hospital (contained in a paragraph in the Lyttelton Times of 12th inst.) He had been imperfectly reported, his remarks referred to a period many years ago and were based on hearsay evidence. On further discussion it appeared that he had been also misled through confusing the " diet card" with the "diet sheet." Only the stimulants entered on the latter are drawn from the store. A patient's supply of stimulants might be cancelled or suspended verbally, and would thus still appear on tbe diet card while it would cot be entered on the daily diet sheet and so would not be drawn from store. Thus an enquirer basing his investigations on the diet card would come to the conclusion that stimulants were being drawn from store and not delivered to the patients.