A MENACE TO THE PUBLC HEALTH.

Grey River Argus, 22 December 1920, Page 2

A MENACE TO THE PUBLC HEALTH.

THE Department of Public Health is never behindhand in pointing out the obligations of others to observe precau- I tions in the interests of the public health. Therefore it is an inversion of the usual order for any community to "have to point out to that depart- ' mpr\t its own duty in this very matter. Bnt a case in point has arisen in th-e TTnl.-i+i^n fMstrift. v/horo, the Tocnrrence of typhoid enses is now popularly attribiitprt to a fn Hiiro by tho Dopart""•n* 1 tn pcpfvn'-oiT! nrd rV^movo tlio, oxistent and persistent cause of the trouble. Some little time argo, indeed, on the occasion of receiving an admonition from the Health. Department, the Hokitika Borough Council saw lit to pass a resolution,, drawing the attention of tho Department to the recurring outbreaks of typhoid at the Sea View Mental Hospital, and asking that a serious effort be made by the authorities to trace 'tlis source of the infection. Wo have not learned what has been the effect of this resolution, waich several councillors strongly endorsed: but w<s have learned •that the outbreaks have during several years since they began, directly the cause of sevo;.ral deaths, and of more cases of vorv fldri"-oro"R ilmosß. Fooling on tho subjoot is very koon in e the locality afj'r.f.ffvfl «-.,-! -po-Mtv so. boeniif^ tho vn- • .„..-, r.C '1.., oUv^nnt cirl\ vc'r >*vnp-ri-Hitp<? n n-vnvo Tfoimco to +lio li^nlth of ""> --l>f."o po"">MiTiitv. Tf tliO 0nt-i,,:.^01.-<5 l'nvr> tsn -fir lir>r>Ti FnTtn-ontnif of r> rntlior limi^ofl ?c,r>-ne. fhcrp. is not oil ilmt aoonnnt tbo. s^i^litost .iustifi')ntioi 4 . on a lntoT o^rnpioTi. oxtonn! jjroativ, and assumo the dinfcTisions of an alarming and indeed tragic epidemic. All know how the Health Department was once caught napping ,at the time of the influenza ■epidemic, ana it was to have been anticipated that it had learned a lesson on that occasion. Prevention is always better than cure. It should certainly be not too much to expect that the health authorities would, with a little determined \ effort and scientific investigation, be able to ■loca-te and spfeedily erodicatc the cause of tho disoaK'o at the institution in_ question, where there are a large nunv hor of mostly helpless people quartered. Ordinarily HokWika is not^d for beincr a vorv healthy locality, and the outbreaks of typhoid recurring tlioro "onrly, as thov VIo. must bo fine to soivo oynn-ntioTinl ff>f»tor. A^H prnfilT>inlOT i^o fVifi fic'-or if **loyprl *-n "o unr''' l top+r" : l 1-nri vnMinpkOf'. T>"<"st. ITI il, n Tin 4- lirf> l ov/I^t reP .'■liinrrc- fliT ; -»-r> jitx-I -*-r> fl en «c! ■*•-> -n-.«-1-r. ~+f. n^r^n^ tir>-r> only tho riArn difPoirt tho lm>.<Tor it i? loft nn f onfliod. Tt poo'^s to bo oortainly a matter calling for expert attention, such as that of a bacteriologist, and the sooner the no.ttcT, not only for the Hokitika institution and thfc local public, but for the whole country, and for the Department itself as well. We have no doubt, the Department is fully aware of th e complaint, and that nothing we could adduce would assist it beyond a spur to action, in the nature of a protest at the present apparent inaction. In the interests of the community therefore, we desire to express such a protest, and to demand instant action on the Department 's part to locate and erodicato Tvhat cannot be otherwise regarded than ns a jrravn irieTiace to the w>ll-bo-ing of flip thVKKp.. ■