EXPERIMENTS BARRED

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30270, 24 October 1963, Page 10

EXPERIMENTS BARRED

A.C.T.H. Tests On Normal Persons

The North Canterbury Hospital Board will not make facilities available for certain medicai! experiments on healthy volunteers planned by the c.rector of the Medical Unit, Princess Margaret Hospital (Dr. D. W. Beaven), the board decided yesterday. Dr. Beaven had wished to observe the results of infusing known quantities of actinooorti co trophic hormone into normal subjects in order to get a “base-line” on which to judge the effect on patients suffering from diseases where there was a disturbance of the natural hormone balance.

The board decided yesterday not to allow the facilities after learning the view of the Department of Health that "a board ought not to make its facilities available for the performance of tests such as these on citizens who have no association with the board for treatment procedures as either inpatients or outpatients.” The board was also told at an earlier stage by its legal adviser that it would be very difficult indeed to draw up an adequate form of indemnity to cover possible mishaps in the proposed tests. Change Of Plans For Geriatric Beds The 60 additional long-stay geriatric hospital beds recommended by the Health Department’s occupational survey team to relieve the pressure on beds in other specialties will probably be provided in a new building ait the Coronation Hospital, rather than in the old Middle Sanatorium as previously envisaged. In discussions between North Canterbury Hospital Board officers and members and Health Department representatives. the suggestion was made that the new accommodation should be built on what is now a vegetable garden below the main Coronation Hospital building, and the board decided yesterday to make this proposal formally to the department.