WARNING ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28160, 26 December 1956, Page 6

WARNING ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS

“ ORGY ” OF USE IN DOMINION ARTICLE IN MEDICAL JOURNAL "The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND, December 25 Indiscriminate use of antibiotic! in New Zealand—repeatedly said to be widespread—has degenerated into an “orgy.” according to a leading article in the latest issue of the “New Zealand Medical Journal.” Indiscriminate use is still prevalent, it claims- thi« should cease and use of the* few remaining antibiotics effective against resistant organisms should be car*. fullv controlled.

“When the usefulness of antibiotics was fully established.” says the article “there followed an orgy of indiscriminate use. There is little doubt that such widespread use has hastened the emergence of the. present staphylococcus (H-bug), which is resistant to most of the antibiotics in current use.”

The article praises the last annual report of the Director-General of Health (Dr. John Cairney). But it makes pertinent comments on medical research, immunisation against diph. theria and smallpox, tuberculosis, and hospital costs. The amount spent by the Health Department on medical research wai both “parsimonious” and “short, sighted,” it claims. “The sum remains unchanged at the meagre total of £55.000. This represents almost the total amount spent on medical research in the whole country. “Fifty-one cases of diphtheria were reported in the year. Continual care must be taken lest public apathy or indifference of doctors should lead to a falling-off in the present rate of immunisation. It was possible to prevent widespread diphtheria only by keeping the percentage of immunes high. “As regards smallpox, the general susceptibility is probably higher now than for many years. Those who omit vaccination take a calculated risk.”

There are “too many” cases of open tuberculosis out of hospital, the article says. Since 1951 there has been little change in the annual notification of pulmonary tuberculosis: 1557, 1705, 1710, 1651. and 1640. These figures represented new cases. The article suggests that hospital costs could be cut if greater use is made of consultant outpatient clinics. Total expense for hospital boards last year was £18,659,000 and the cost of keeping one in-patient in hospital for a day is now £2 18s Bd. Of this latter figure, salaries of hospital staff make up only 16s 9d.