THE TRENTHAM ENQUIRY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15338, 23 July 1915, Page 4

THE TRENTHAM ENQUIRY.

DR. POBDrs ETIDBNCE.

(rRESS ASSOCIATION' TCLEGRfU.) WELLINGTON, July 22. The principal v.itr.ess before the Trent-ham Commission To-day was Co'.- ---| onel J. 11. Purdy, Director of Medical i Services. Witness said he vras appointed Act-ing-Director ia IDG;), and Director in »:,'il. Ho «va> succeeded by Colonel Will in Juno, 101 L and when h»> left with the Main r2xpeditionary Force, witness was re-nppointe».l I>.M.S. in August, 1914. The appointment cast on him the responsibility for all details in connexion with all the military forces in New Zealand, whether under training or not. He had to do-with all but the Main Exj>editi<iuary Force, which made its own medical arrangements. i>is medical officers were, appointed to the -nd Reinforcements, and had proved good men since they went to tiic front. He laid out the camp at Trent-ham, and supervised tho arrangements personally, and in conjunction with the medical officers. At this point Dr. Klliott save.evidence taking exception to statements that ho h;i<! made suggestions for the erection of ihe hospital, and had signified his approval of the plans by wriiinjx "Yes"' on the margin of a letter. Tho file was put in, and witness said tho writing wa.s not his. He had only .seen tho plans in a casual way, and strougi'y objected to the inference that he was responsible for them. Ho tosk it that if the opinion of tbo Neiv Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, of which ho was chairman, was required, tho plans would Jiavo been forwarded to them. Colonel Purdy, resuming his evidence, said ho did not know who put "Yes" on tho letter. The word was not in His writ-ing. Jn fact, he thought it only referred to tho last paragraph of tho letter, and not to tho plans. His Honour ajzrerv.l this might be so, and in answer to him, \Jolonel Purdy said thorp was nothing in tho letter expressing Dr. Eliiott's own approval of the plans. Dr. Elliott eaid he merely wished to mako it plain that, the Medical Association was not to be involved in something of which its members did not approve. His Honour said he thought it was clear that it was not considered necessary to subniit the plans to the Medical Association, and it wns not done. Continuing his evidence, Colonel Purdy eaid tho water at Trentham wa.s tested. The arrancoment of tho camp was on Imperial lines with regard to space. The "Military Manual- , laid down that the minimum space allowed for an infantry battalion in camp was at tho rate of 000 men per acre. In England fifteen to eighteen men were put in a tent, whereas in New Zealand they never put more than eight in. They had more than four acres for a camp of 2000. Latrines, soak-pits, and incinerators, according to the military regulations, were also constructed. When, subsequently, the camp was extended, tents were not placed over ground where soak-pita had been erected. The whole of th*» liniments were erected on virgin ground, except for tho iirst line, which stood on ground where tents stood previously. In reply to his Honour, Colonel Purdy said the health &i the camp was remarkably good, a record for the world, he thought. There had been only two deaths attibutable to the camp in a period of eight months after putting through nearly 20,000 men. ■-...Referring -to -sickness, his Honour said the report of Dr Fyffo (showed that 119 cases :k<my> cent'to Wellington Hospital up to February, a largo proportion being measles. Colonel P:irdv «ai«l there were twelve cases in November, twelve oases in December, twenty in January, fifteen in February, 48 in March, 8C in April, 200 in May. and 256 up to about June 20th. Colonel Purdy stated that he instituted a system of inoculation against typhoid at an early date. At one time they had about six cases which Were suspiciously like enteric. Two men were sent t-o hospital with a request that they be watchod for typhoid. That w.'.s about November 14th. The Healt'i Department heard of the .matter, and wished to know why the cases were not reported. They were told that the suspicion was so alight that a report had appeared unnecessary. After that ail cases were refuted to ( thn Health Department. At that time they were not satisfied with the water supply, which was not copious »nough. so they obtained .a second supply, which was tested. No enteric developed, the men re-, covering from their sickness very quickly. To prevent A 1 spread of measles, a segregation camp for v contacts was established awuy from the main cam p. and men were kept there for twenty-one days as a precaution against measles; In the course of further examination, Colonel Purdy stated that one of the stick men had died of ncute phthisis. Dr. Martin: H e had been admitted into tho jtrmy with tuberculosis? Colonel Purdy: Probably. We have had several onses admitted with incipient tuberculosis. The Chairman: The examination ia not too thoiou.gh sometimes? Colonel Purdy: Oh. yes it iscases followed measles'. The Solicitor-General asked if a man who had died on one of the transports whs an orderly in the lierhampor© Hospital. . Sergeant Yallup, of the Ainbuluncc Corps, was questioned in i-vgar*] to this man, and stated that the, deceased was not an orderly at the hospital during the time witness was there, from .Juno is-t to nth. Colonel Puidy. continuing, stated that the man ilied o;i Juno 12th, and had been concealing his condition in order to got. away. In regard to Ui<> reported overcrowding of Hospital, the yieatest numbor of patients in tin , institution «n one <.':<y w;is 104. on June '2nd. The overcrowding wnp not as serious as it looked, because many of the men wer<> i.ot ill. On April 11 tit lie ranjr up the Health Department, asking for their help to find a building to accommodate months cases. They did not gi y c !:itu any help, but said "be could <io it himself vary well." When overcrowding had occurred at Berhaniporo, the medical staff- established five marquees in the (.-ainp. Cp to June Tth hf wa« in x'lle. ohargo of the Berluniiporo Hospital, and up to -lime \'Oth lie was in sol<» charge of the medical treatment. Xo one had died who nad any couucxion with tho Berhamrvore institution up to June 10th. There wa s no daily medical inspection there, but civilian doctors v.-erft called in when roqiiircvl. The City Engineer (Mr W. H. Morton) had "helped him in the P.rrangenients at Berhampsre, and the city did everything possible. .DR. VALINTINE'S POSITION. j Iα answer to the Solicitor-General, Colonel Purdy said that Dr. (Colonel) Va'.iutine couirceuced to exercise Bis duties as Director of Military Hospitals practically from June Ctb. The Solicitor-General: In what way did that affect your position as Director of Medical Services? Colonel Purdy: Practically not at ail. Do you mean yon Lav© the same functions new as before Colonel Valintiiie'<! appointment?,—Minus tho camp. As a matter of fact, tho arrangement that is now in existence is practically an arrangement that 1 made in 1911. Then am I to understand that yon have no longer charge of tho Trcu-

thiim camp?— Nothing to do with the Trentham eaJIU) at all. Have yon anvthijio; to do with the hospital?—"No," except indirectly." 'Iho anani:enient. he explained, laid down by tho ]>irector of Military H°- spitals was that he should make all arransemcnt.s for the pick at Trentham camp: also all arrangements for hospitals and convalescent homes., for the sanitation of the camp, for the chargo of tlu) camp hospital, provision of accomnif/clation for sick outside Trenthain caniD, au<3 aiTaiW'Uionts for accrmnuodation in hospital , 'M homes for sick on arrival from abroad. I>oes not that mean, the SolicitorGeneral asked, that .you h«vo no loiißcr any rpspon.sibility in regard to hospitals or'sick men? —That is so. The Commission adjourned til! tomorrow.