FIGHTING CONSUMPTION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 981, 23 November 1910, Page 5

FIGHTING CONSUMPTION.

; .VIGOROUS MEASURES URGED. At the monthly meeting of tho Wei-/ lington and Charitable Aid;. Board > yesterday, : the acting-chairman (Mr. R. C. Kirk), formally moved the adoption of the lengthy report—circulated at the previous monthly meeting of the board— by Dr. llardwick Smith, Medical. Superintendent at tho Hospital, on tho treatment of consumptive- patients 'and precautionary steps-necessary. to combat the spread of the scourge..' . The adoption of tile 'report, .He .said,-would carry ; with it,, the establishment of a special outpatients', department,/ and the development and extension of a district nursing pchenie for the general supervision of the disease. ;Definite . details" as. to the carrying out of those , ideas would be before the board at. a subsequent meetlag.

Mr. B. B. Gardiner (Levin) ■ made a strong appeal for more publicity and more, drastic, action in connection with the, spread ■ of \ the diseases. The other day, in Dr. Valintino's report, published P/?ss,. a v special point .was made of the fact that-consumption was decreasing. The speaker's answer to that lasil1 as il . tll ! ! t " 6 ha<l mll(le careful analysis of the fagures in the. New Zealand Year Book since 1889, and had failed to discover any-such decrease. Mr. Gardiner Trent .-.on .to relate that he knew of a'certain man who after being discharged from the Otaki Sanatorium, came to tho Seddon Hospital at Wellington. He subsequentlyJeft there, and Arent up to tho Old Mens Home, but, not caring for that, he went to. another institution, where, m the long room in which he slept, were some, eight or nine consumptives, who wcro m a serious enouKh condition to warrant segregation from their fellows. He hoped that these, points Would be .kept m view. ."Must have legislation," observed somebody, y . . . "All very well—but. .we haven't got that legislation,-and wo.are standing still like mummies." . - Voices: "No, no,, no I"-.. r The acting-chairman assured Mr. Gar diner that tho developments and extensions of the scheme now under consideration would be. provided- as-far as was practicable.