TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 92, 11 January 1908, Page 6

TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.

SPEECH BY HON. Gi FOWLDS. ■ ' (BY TELEGItAPn—PRIMS . As'sOCrATrOX.) . Cambridge, January 10. The Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister for Health', accompanied by Dr. Mason, - Chief Health Officer, representative , doctors, member's of .the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and, inombers of'both' Houses of •Parliament, .paid liis. first .official'., visit, to To Waikato. Sanatorium/- eight - miles ••fr6m:,'..Camb'ridge,-•yes-terday afternoon. The' Minister 'and party, were "greatly, impressed, with the, management and. the excellent' results' of : open-air .trti&Ti meiit. One result of. the visit will prob.ibly bo the adoption by Hospital. Boards in .the, province of "a similar- method _of tredtuig' consumptives, in their, own districts. ... (BI TBLEOItAPH—SPECIAT, ,001lRIRf0W>W)) » • " V '•'i'.' Auckland,.January 10: ■ Speaking' at 'tho Cambridge Sanatorium yesterday, tho Hoii. Geo. Fowlds said, -regarding the system of ■ ktroatmont of coil-. Gumptives, that .there was.'no reason'why. persons alllicted with this disease should not receive quite as effective, treatment.ill'-local, sanatoria in their, own 'districts' as at ;tho' Waikato Sanatorium. ''Many' of those who wero' treated in the ordinary hospitals, for various diseases, had brought their' troubles upon themselves. Whilst they, wero' receiving tho benefit; pf. public expenditure upon hospitals it : was only just that those ( who wero stricken with a disease for which' they were in any way responsible should ; reeeivo similar caro from a humane. Hospital Board. Ho was glad to know that practically every Hospital Board in the Dominion had either mad'o, or was about to-make,. provision for persons suffering from this disease. Tho Auckland Board had already mado a .start to do something, and beforo long ho hoped that all tho Boards in the Dominion wouldhavo made provision for dealing with cases of phthisis. When that timo arrived it would enable tho work of the Waikato Sanatorium, which primarily existed for the pur,poso of. demonstration, to be ;moro effectively-carried-out. Last year, ho said, 116 patients were admitted to the institution, ■ and . 91 ■ were discharged. Of the latter number no fewer-than 48 loft in apparently good health,' and exhibiting no sign of. active disease.. It was difficult, owing to tho different methods of compiling statistics, to get exact comparisons; with similar sanatoria in other countries, but,' so far lis could'bo judged,' the percentage of cures hero was as great, as at any of the European sanatoria. (Applause.) Then- the Hospital Boards had their .'own means of treatment. This institution would bo ablo to deal more effectively with the special ' cases ' for ■ which it. was peculiarly adapted. At. present they often had to .admit cases—not. necessarily the- worst cases—of tho disease which should not- bo admitted, and consequently tho special work" which ought to bo done was being retarded. Ho hoped that by cpntinuous warfare against this diseaso it would bo possible to almost entirely eradicate it from the Dominion. Tho Government and the Hospital Boards should combino with this excellent goal in .view, and if they thus united ho liad.no'doubt that the end-in view'would'bo attained. (Applause.) In conclusion, he paid : a tribute to tho excellent .sorvioes of Dr. Roberts and Miss Rocbfort, his remarks being greeted, with much applauso from the patients present.