INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11460, 19 December 1902, Page 3

INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL.

HOSPITAL BOARD'S VISIT TO BOTTLE LAKE. THE FUTURE OF THK INSTITUTION Consequent upon tlie Hospit.il Board taking over temporary control of the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Bottle Lake, hitherto controlled by the Christch-urch City Council, the members of the Board, with others, visited and inspected the Hospital yesterday. The members of the Board present' were:—Mer.srs W. Dunlop (chairman), G. 11. McHaflie, G. PayJing, W. M'Millan, 0. H. Winny, T. H." Davoy, M.H.R., H. H. Loughnan, J. Dobson, and , J. Hamiltoin. Dr. Crook, house surgeon at the Christohurch Hospital, aud the following members of the honorary staff were present: — Drs- Neclwill, Fox, and Irving. Dr. Symes, Mr W. M. Millar (secretary to the Board), and the matron an<J sub-matron also accompanied the party. On arrival at the Infectious Diseases Hospital the party were shown over it, and also visited the .site of the camp, established in connection with . the returned troopers, which is now proposed to be used as the site of the portion of uh£ hospital devoted to consumptive cases. Tho party lunched in one of the tents,' after which the meeting of the Board wis resumed. The Chairman paid that in view of the fact that the members of the honorary staff were present, the members of the Board were anxious to leant from tlieiu their opinions as to the best method of utilising the hospital. At the Christchurch Hospital, he pointed out, the ward devoted to infectious cases was pre'My full, and difficulty was being experienced in dealing with the cases which entered. Consequently the Board was anxious to dispose of these infectious cases at Bottb Lake or elsewhere. Dr. Xedwill said that, of course, he had not had an opportunity of consulting with the other members of the honorary but 'his personal opinion was that the sooner the treatment of infectious cases was removed from the General Hospital the better it would be. Cases (had occurred where patients wndergoing surgical operations had contracted scarlatina, the inference being that contagion had been unwittingly communicated from the infectious diseases ward. He considered t'bnt such cases should be dealt with at Bottle Lake. This would necessitate the appointment of a medical officer, who would some times 'have mudi, and sometimes little, to do—a matter to T» taken into consideration when the question of salary was fixed. The probability was that there would be some outcry, if this were done, on account of the distance Bottle Lake was from toavn, but in time people would get educated up to it. When an infectious case occurred in a large family they would recognise that it was for the good of the others that it riiould be isolated. Mr Loughnan asked how Dr. Nedwil suggested they should deal with cases o! consumption. Dr. Nedwill said he did not think thej should be admitted into the Curistchuroi Hospital. Mr Loughnan: "Should we send th«r here?" Dr. Nedwill: "Yes; they ought not tc be treated in the General Hospital." Mr Loughnan: " We find it impossible in practice to refuse such cases admission.' Dr. Nedwill: " Their admission is ncit'bei food for themselves nor the other ptitients.' = Mr Loughnan: "Do you consider rl would be better for the patients themselveif they were pent down here?" Dr'Nedwill: "It would be fifty tame* bett«r for them, and ako for other miec tiou.s cases." Mr Winny asked if conPump'.ive pjtitn,' would n<Jt be liable to sulfer if associate-: with infectious cases. Dr. Nedwill sa.id there was no reasor why they should not bs kept separate. Dr. Symes said that the intention wato have*(separate groups of tents, several hundred yards apart. Mr Wmny: "I tako it that it us intended to er?et permanent buildings." The Chairman: "No." Dr. Svmos said that t.he tents tb»y had inspected offered a great advantage ovei permanent buildings in that they "did not hold infection to the same extent. The tents could b? taken down ar.d the canvaf turned in two hours, and by a proc.fs o! oxidisation, which really meant disinfection, were purified. The custom was tc take the tent down after an infectious case had been in it. turn the canvas revarnish the wood portion, and shift th? site of the tent so th.it- it did not again occupy tho same ground. It took a day to put lue tent up again. This was a perfectly reliable means of disinfection, ami far euporior to any mechanical process. Dr. Fox said his opinion was that the question of accommodation at the p-r.ora! hospital for infectious disease would iH?lf. If th-.-y went back over the etatisties for the pa.-a f«w years tbey would find thnt a'\M>fding as the ' accommodation increased the niimb-T of cases incrcartod. Th • Public Health -Act d:'d not compel the notation of ?iU"h infrcr-ints d:«axw as rcnrltt fever, scarlatina, and diphtheria, ar.:l wh ; '.ft .if pi-pscnt there b? twenty l'.v.s Isolated, th-ro wvre prolxtbiv hunfln^!. 1 * tin: nr.t. Under th-"?a circuiustances Isolation w-is practioally v. c eles>, arid v. - l:cn they &.-k-?d the j.uh'.ic to coii't- fill the distance to Bottle T.-ike thew would be f:wer cu.-ws i*o!a-j?J. H ■ ta;>k it thai Bottle Lake would n>olvt" i:.v-lf into a sanatorium for consumptives. If so, it

would not be to appoint a resident :nvdiral ollker. ' All that would be u> !■:-.<,iry would l>> to appoint a pra'.-t;----t::i«:c:r \*!in would visit til.' hospital uajiy. rr wlicn r<.qu:r«-.l h> attrnd to t!:e medical v.-ar.:.s of rh? jvu>r.:s, and also -•' *">" to t.h.> (Hi-ncrai nu-iiuu" iii-MH of th- , i^Uib-i lishnv-nt. li ru.h ami, w.Te :;pj_>o:ntcl ; tlrere w;i.« .--cope fr.r v;«*t.'.y impivivm; tli'.- pb< ■. !; v.-.-Ls t.'io /i.epiy-roo': , '! opinion i-f •■■.■i.'iitifiL- nv.n at pnv-evt iluvt cuisurnpti.Mi wa< ar. :nfectio;js dis-'use. and thai it .«h<uild bo treated a.* mkli. Ho thought hiin*?lf that- what the- Board won! i b:n-e to consider in connection w.tli ltot Ldcv would few in respect, u> the isolation of consumptives, and not othor in-V-jiiou.-! d : :-M.'O. for which latter, how>v r. fume provision would have to bo made. Dr. Irvine said-he h.-.d no doubt that infectious JLv-aw.s ;us well a-< consumptive ca-'.i-.* .-hou!d b.' accommodated at IVittle Like. When tlv. place b-carne b:tter known h ■ h.'.d no douht i; would be m«:e p.-'pular t.':.m at pr sPnt. He wis of i-.p.n----ion t'uit a r. e.rltnt modic;t! i.fiic'or wo».>t haw to hi appointed, its urgent casi-." would ar:.-c ir.star.t attention. The p!ai-e w;ik an admirable one for llio purp .c, and infectious c\\±*s* would reovor there than in tUe gojural h(:t<])itlll. br. C'rookc <-a;d ho certainly thought I'he u'cjural hospital was not the place for :nfe. tii>;is diseases. At, pres>.-nt the :c----fcrtioii.s riipt'osfs ;r,ird was a certain source of dinger, despite the precautions taken. He had to assist, at aiany of rfie operations, and at the soino time attend patients in the infectious diseases ward, and there was a certain amount of r>'k in this procedure. As to consumptives, the general hospital was not ilie p;ace tor them, buc they treated at a place like Bottle Lake. If fever cases were also treated a resident medical oliner waaid be necessary. He certainly thought infect.ous fever ca*v» tliou.d be rcmoveJ from tlie general hospita!, for during the lasL- three years the v.a: J ii.id b.cn filifd with scarlet fever _ '•α-vs, n.id was riddled with infectirn. Piroiiildlr.gs were not suitable for tht.se ■ .;;:eoi:.:iis cases. y.v JJonT:; asked if it vould be r.ecr-- 1:■".ry to hnv • a resident m /dical oltic-.'T if ; :.::e liort:.' LaJij, Hospital were co::i;cclei : with . ■ U'tjhor:. exchange? i Dr. L':(,(.kj it v, culcl be nrcTsI :\i<y,' ,-. > c<».-€s would oeour. v.'L.ai j i!:-d':c> aid was ri'nuirfd immediately. Mi , Payiir; said that according to tin , , opinions of the honorary siriff. the Board hid for som? t*.nic> he:-xi wrorz in treating infectious c.-is.s at- tiiv >;vr.eral hospital. He had heard that sonic operations had not been satisfactory owing to patients operated upon contracting infectious feve-.s. Since then the infectious diseases ward had htim clc-.ued, and that had had, beleved, fcome effect in altering circumstance. , ?. He was of opinion that consumptives and infectious diseases cases should bo provided for at Bottle. Lake, and in. that respect it -was absolutely necessary that the hospital should be connected with the telephono exchange, and a. resident medical officer appointed. He had been one who had always objected to the admission of consumptive cases into the general hospital. Dr. Fox, in explanation, said that when foo suggested a visiting medical officer would ie sufficient, : he liad done so under the assumption that the place' would be used entirely as a consumptives' sanatorium. A resident officer would bs necessary, of course, if infections diseases were to be treated. Br. Nedwill referred to the case of one patient who underwent an operation at the .hospital and contracted an infectious disease which 'had kept, her three or four months in tho hospital, and said if there had been no scarlatina, in the iiospital the patient would have escaped contagion. He contended' that the public only required to be educated to see the necessity far the isolation of infectious cases. Dr. Fox mentioned that that very morning lie had seen three persons living in a small house aH suffering from scarlet fever. One of these was going tibout his ordinary work despite hie (Dr. Fox's) attempts to dissuade him. He was afraid that ifc would take centuries to educate people up to tho ideal Dr. Xedwill hod in his mind. So long as the Public Health Act did not compel people to isolate themselves they would not do it. At Home the isolation of infectious cases was compulsory. Referring to tho danger of contagion to foirgical patients, lie sarld that in some instances eucTi patient* had been waiting for ten days in order to have an operation performed, but after the surgeon's knife entered their tireues they had developed scarlet fever within twenty-four hours. Dr. Ned will and himself hnd been greatly concerned about the matter—so much so that they almost hesitated to perform operations. There, was no doubt about the fact that scarlet fever was being communicated from the infectious" part of the hospital to patients beinr operated upon. Dr. Crooko said that the infectious diseases ward had .been cleaned and visitors, who :had been in me habit of reeing mends in it, and then seeing other fren-ds in tho surgical wards, had been prohibited visiting it. Patients in the infectious diseases wu.rd had been found climVn.tr the fences on the Ricenrton road in ord-ir to communooato with friends, but this had also been stopped. •Mr Davey suggested that the Boerd should discuss the whole matter a.t an adjourned meeting, and moved that the meeting bo adjourned till 2.30 p.m. on. ManThis wn« agreed to. The party then returned to town. ■.