RAILWAY HOSPITALS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 54, 26 November 1938, Page 12

RAILWAY HOSPITALS

Overseas Institutions For Injured Workmen

Dominion Special Service.

AUCKLAND, November 25.

The efficiency of the special hospitals conducted by railway organizations in Great Britain, the United States and Canada, was the subject of comment by Dr. M. R. Finlayson, .Sydney, one of three medical officers employed by the New South Wales Government railways, who passed through Auckland by the Mariposir today on his return from a trip abroad. Dr. Finlayson said New S,outh Wales did not as yet have a hospital of this type, but he intended to make a report' on the subject to the railway commissioners when he reached Sydney. The railway hospitals overseas were maintained for the rehabilitation of injured workmen, Dr. Finlayson said. Those of one American organization were very highly developed, though several of the English companies had smaller but exceedingly efficient units of this type.

Considerable investigation bad recently taken place, mainly in the United States, as to the effects of air conditioning in trains, he said. That had been the outcome of numerous complaints from railway passengers and employees that they had suffered various respiratory troubles through the introduction of the conditioning system. The investigations proved, however, that the troubles could not bo attributed to this cause, and it seemed that travellers had simply found another excuse to explain their contraction of ordinary complaints.