TYPHOIO AT PORIRUA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1214, 24 August 1911, Page 5

TYPHOIO AT PORIRUA.

THE NURSING QUESTION. "Veritas" writes as follows:—In th!» morning's issue of The Dominion, the iiuv. Van Stavcron is reported -to have said, at a meeting of thn Public Health Committee of the. Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, that "the result of a recent outbreak fat Porirna Hospital] had been that nine fever patients had died, and he believed that,tho mortality on that occasion would have been less had a fully-qualified nursing staff being available," Many extraordinary and unreliable statements have been made regarding tha outbreak of typhoid at Porirna llcspital, but it is surprising I hat a gentleman of Mr. Van Ptivcron's standing should commit himself to such a statement without first of all making himself conversant with the facts. It is true Hint nino of the thirty patients affected died, but 1 am in apposition to s state emphatically that not one of these could have recovered even under the most favourable mucins conditions. Is Mr. Van Slaveren aware of the fact that of (he nine who died seven were suiferinj from general paralysis, or from epilepsy, the former disease in itself being a rapidly fatal one? D?cs ho realise tlint the vitality, and, consequently, the resisting powers of a mental patient, arc not those of an ordinary individual ; and that considering thn condition of thii patients to begin with, the wonder is not that so many died, but tli.it tho mortality was not a ereat deal higlipr than it was; and that this comparatively low mortality reflects great credit on tho nursing staff!' Sir, T, with many others, protest against the insult to the Porirua nui-Fos, nnd can sny with-confidence (lint those who were in eh we of the typhoid patients are as qualified to nurse typhoid fever cases us any General Hospital nurse.