THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 287, 28 August 1908, Page 9

THE COUNCIL.

. readings. \ The '.Destitute Persons Amendment Bill, Counties Amendment Bill, tiongj Amendment Bill, and Public\ Works Amendment Bill were received from the Hous3 and read "a" first time. \ . - ?i"wELLINCTON FEVER HOSPITAU ■ "The; Hon: T. K. MACDONALD (WellVig--tony" asked' whether- the "Attorncy-Genersi's 1 attention had been 'drawn to a newspaper . -•'paragraph, including the following extract •'from a report by Dr. Ewart, medical super 5 -, inteildent of the Wellington Hospital:—"l\ * bave-'again to report the serious-illness of a - fever ward nurse. As I have previously in- ' formed 'you, nearly every nurse, on' taking tip duty in the fever wards, has been siezed with an-illness of some sort. 'JTh© matte has become a serious one, and I think the trustees should consider the advisability of closing.; the wards altogether"; and whether it " was tho intention of the. Government to deal immediately and effectively with the question ; of yfever coses' in the' City of Wellington. ' v Thq'ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Hon. Dr. . • Findlay)irtferred Mri--Mscdonald for information'to" the Hon. C. M. Luke, who was sitting ' beside, 'him (arid Who is chairman" of tho Wellington Hospital Trustees). Dr. Findlay addod that -the' trustees had'every information as to-sit-cs for l a new building, and were mak-' ing -.a-selection.. The Government wasrassist-' : '«ing them in every possible way.

TO" PREVENT BEING BURIED ALIVE. • ' AN,INTERESTING DISCUSSION. . • . The Honi ; Colonel BAILLIE (Marlborough)' /nqved'.'That : the Government take into consideration the desirability of amending the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages Act to the following effect: That erpry death should be certified by a medical man, after having tested the radial artery." The mover, quoted some statements made in Englancf by Sir Walter Foster. He also gavo authority,for an assertion that,in England 149 people were known to havo been buried alive, mid 219 . had revived after.being-laid out as dead. An instance from his own experience jn; India, and one from Pnlmerston North, were, also'adduced. Even if great cost were : incurred in' carrying out tl)_e' suggestion; it should'noVbe jf,Jt/saye,d one or two .persons'from a miserable death. ■ ; The ATTORNEY-GENERAL < (Hon. Dr. Findlay) saitf he had consulted the Chief Health Officer and the Registrar-General on this-; subiedt. . As for testing tho 'radial artery," if' feeling t.he : artery" for pulsation- wero meant, ho understood that was regularly done by doctors when, desiring to make suro whether, a person was dead or not. But presumably, tile cutting .of the artery, to see if blood came, war meant.- That -Was a simple operation,, and took very little t-imo, but many doctors did not consider it necessary. There/was probably no harm in a medical man giving ./. :a;. certificate ' of. death without • seeing the body, if he had been attending the patient, .and was sure that dpath could'not 'be; long delayed. In many cases, however, certificates were given by doctors without having .seen, the natient at all. In such cases there nh >lement of risk. -He . agreed thnt.the'mcdical man should see tho patient before, giving a certificate of death. To make this obligatory would involve an alteration of-, the law- Burial beforo registration of death was at present permitted. This, had been found jieccssary on account of. the sparsely.peopled character of portions of the count.ry. but tho fact. that de*th was : not ' certified'was .aliv.ivs noted.

The Hon. Dr. COLT,INS (Wellington) ?uppo,rted tho motion. Every medical man had corn/? Across people, who greatly dreaded being buried, alive,, and. who be.<rged th*t when they were' suDposed to bo dead some operation,, should bn performed to make sure of thri ffict. He, had not in his long experience known a care where a pereon radically certified, to be denfl had been proved to he alive; nor did he know of any doctor who had. Such. cases must be very few'. Deaths in hospitals were this subject of innuests, as well as medical certificates. In outside car»s thero were, not only the doctor, but ,-lso the.-friends of the patient and the undertaker. In_ tlio case of acute fevers dc»th preceded by a condition of EUsnfmVd animation, and •animation migkt J» restored and the patient might recover. TTe believed; however, that' when under the stethoscope no sounds of heart: heats w<»rn hoard for htlf an. hour.'the'iilftrument being applied every ten minutei'r-there were no proved c*!*s of restored animation. TTe had rend, of a case of a famous'actress .who was considered fo be denrT, but who revived when beirr embalmed; and cb*ed mibsrrinently' as a • reStilt, of injuries sustained in that process. It be held that pntr»f*rtion was the only eenelusiro proof of d*ath, but the r o wer« sufßei«rit Tea fens whv'that, could not be fillored. He would support, the motion for ■-the puTDOse of rr.liovinrt -the minds of people tmofe .than nm-thinc else/ He* also thourht the liw chould be amended r o as to renuiro that Still-born:infants'-should bo geo n hv a ; doctor, and that' tho' Native raco should be Fiibiect to .'tho system of registration of .de-+hß...

5"%?.H0n. W.-C. F. CARNOttOSS (Tara-jlfil-n ninpnrted ithfi motion, and mentioned n CP*"? -of rf»vir«]/'r!'P+r»r rlonfch : Wo Hon. W.- W. M'C!.\T>DT.F, jnrntioiind nnnfhnr case. hut wbil" RvmpathisJ"" T'tlv tl"vnhiVot in view, pointed to tlw di"V-nl+.-r .of''nrr>lvinp: tho suggestion ; in sparsely settled districts: • .;' y;.'/ : A RETURN REFUSED. iThSiHon. T. K. MACDONALD (Welling-' tort: moved: "That there bo laid upon the table', .of. the .Council such information from -refuellers and records in possession of tho Treasury,, as Trill enable a correct statement to be made of the amount paid annually by the New Zealand Government during the pa-st five-.vears'for freight, psssaKes, etc., between the-.TTnited Kingdom and New Zealand, nud' that! such statement shall contain full infor.mat'on as to the commission allowed in con-.-.npeHhn-with all shipping transsictidns with n known as 'E„ A. Smith.'" ... "" .!■ Hon. J. E.. JENICINSON (Wellington) nn : mover should have given, some reasr""' 'Vbv the. information was desired. " ; \TTOItNEY-GENEIt.\L (lion. Dr. F r .',jssid he was informed that to supply tl-. n3krd for.would cause a great dr ■ »;f work in several Departments, and bo . en' : '' .'nt see an.v reason why the country. b1; .M he put.to the.expense.- .... , , .Or>er councillors expressed the view that' tlif.'motion should not.be supported, unless cause were shown by the mover; The Hon. T. K. MACDONALD said ho was anxious not to use tho information lie possessed until tho Government had quietly niiide inquiries. It \ras desirable to be extremely careful in any matter that might involve reflections on anyone. As the steps ho ! had taken did not commend themselves

to tho Council, he would ask lcare to withdraw tho motion,..and would bring it up kgain in a different form, giving some details. . i Councillors remarked that tho motion already convoycd a reflection. i Hon. Dr. FINDLAY : It. is certainly a reflection on, Mr. Smith—whoever he is. j Leave to'withdraw-the motion was refused, and it was defeated on tho voices. j QUACKERY PREVENTION BILL. .' Tho Hon, J. B. OALLAN (Otagoj moved tho second reading of the , Quackery Prevention Bill, which' had come from the other House. i The Hon. W. W. M'CARDLE (Auckland) siiggostcd that no medicine should be adrertised in connection with the name of a medical man unless tho existence of such medical man and his part in the matter were proved. ■Tho'Hon. J. ANSTEY (Canterbury) suggested that the Chief Health Officer should he required to show reasons when condemning preparations. Tho Hon. Dr. Collins and tho Hon. J Jonos supported tho Bill. Tho Hon. S. T- GEORGE said he feared tho Bill would put too much , power into the hands of tho Chief Health Officer. He recognised that the Bill was in tho right direction, as there wore-many injurious preparations boing sold, but there' woro others that were good, -and could not be donri without by people in the backblocks._ He regretted that tho Bill did not deal with the sale of preventives. Tho Bill was supported by tho- Hons. R. A. Loughnan, 0. Samuel, J. R. Sinclair, ,1)]. Trask, and W. Beehan. Its object was approved by the Hon. T. Kelly, who) however, said he did not expect that much good'would result, frnm if,. , , The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Hon. Dr. Findlay) said that when lie was Acting-Post-. master-General, ho was Appalled to learn that thousands of pounds were being . of the country, mostly to Australia, by people who woro silly enough to . believe .advertisements of alleged wonderful oures., Ho, sympathised with the Bill,'but. thought,.it, would need considerable amendment. He. did not think there should be-,provision'for Appeal from "the decision of the. Supieipp; Court Judge,.as to the nature of a prepara.-' tlon. There were many.-. preparations uised, by doctors ivhich they themselves know..'were of little real effectiveness," arid .thus tho..Bill really had a very wide scope. . He thought \tho'power given to the Gbvernnierit'to make , regulations might need to" bo. extended. l\The second reading was carried "• 'on' : , ,tho r vi/iccs. - • u:: '

l\ OTHER SECOND READINGS. ' The Town Boards Act' Amendment Bill, which was originated by Mr. Ell in " another place,?' and •' which makes the franchise of tie Municipal Corporations Act> 1900, apply to Town Board elections, was read a second time oh tho motion of the Hon. J. E. Jenhnson.- ■ ( The second reading: of the Oamaru Ressrves Bill was carried, on the motion of tio Hon. G'. Jones; ■ The Council adjourned 'at 4.20 p.m.