SICKNESS AT TRENTHAM

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 1 July 1915, Page 4

SICKNESS AT TRENTHAM

FULL MEDICAL REPORT PROMISED.

The Minister of Defence and the Minister in ■ charge of hospitals had a busy half hour this afternoon replying to questions iegarding excessive sickness ait Trentham' camp. A full report on the subject was promised for Thursday " •

Mr Boole (Auckland West) called the Minister's attention to a trooper's letter published in Auckland, which alleged that 601) cases were in Wellington Hospital, and that men who reported at S.lo a.m. at the medical tent were kept waiting in the tain until 11 o'clock before their cases were dealt with, while some were not able to receive attention, and sick men had in some cases to sleep in wet tents and in their wet clothes. The member added that he was anxious not to embarrass the Minister of Defence, but reports of such an alarming state of affairs required the closest investigation. The Hon. James Alien replied with some warmth that he questioned if a Trentham soldier wrote such a letter, so full of gross and pure inaccuracies. li> was a violent attack on the Trentham authorities, and was so full of untruths that to-morrow he would lay before Parliament a complete report from the authorities on. the whole position, to show how grossly inaccurate was this letter. He wished to point out that instead" of 600 soldiers being in Wellington Hospital, there" were not 600 beds in the whole institutino. Some of the men preferred the tents to the hutments. A complete force of doctors was attached to each reinforcement draft, but a fortnight or three weeks ago he was advised that it was necbs-sary to secure continuity of niedical policy in the can'.p, consequently a permanent medical officer, Colonel Morris, had been appointed and had gone into camo to-day. A fortnight "ago last Saturday it was ■reported to him that there was considerable increase m the rate of measles and influenza, and that the Berhampore Hospital was overcrowded. The Public Health Department promptly reported at his request, and he personally visited Berhampore, coming to the conclusion that things were unsatisfactory. Ec immediately .set about making a change. Colonel Purdy, who was director of medical services, was relegated to the treatment of territorials and dealing with transports, and it was arranged that the chief health officer, Dr Valintine, should • take in hand the treatment of the sick in hospitals and the sick at Trentham. Mr Russell: Is he over Colonel Purdy or Colonel Morris? The Minister: Yes; he will be over the doctors as an inspecting officer. The number of measles cases in the general hospitals at present was 43. Sir Joseph Ward: Are there others in other hospitals? v The Minister replied that, including convalescents and measles and influenza cases, there were approximate-' ly 400 patients. They were allocated to the General Hospital, the Berhampore Hospital, a large warehouse at Kaiwarra. Mr lzard's house at Trentham, and Mrs Hadfield's house at ,Waikanae. There was ample provision for all, though he admitted there was overcrowding at first. A BREEZE.

The Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes announced that yesterday there were 30 convalescent patients in Mr Izard's house, 209 at Kaivarra, 43 patients in the General Hospital, 21 at Berhampore, and two at Trentbam. There were no patients actually in the camp. The only ones in the vicinity werethose in the buildings loaned by the Wellington Racing Club. Mr Wilford: There are some in the horse boxes. . The Minister: Pardon me, it was not a horse bon. Mr Wilford: I know, because I saw it. The Minister added that there were patients in the tea kiosk, mostly influenza convalescents. None of the cases were such as would have been treated in hospital in private life. Some would not even have consulted a doctor in private life. Dr Thacker: Because they are not septic? The Minister: They are not septic. Dr Thacker: You state" that as a fact ? The Minister: Yes. I know the hon. gentleman went out and poked around without a permit or anything else. Dr Thacker: Don't be, nasty. * Continuing, the Hon. R. H. v Rhodes said the cases were removed to the tea kiosk for shelter because this was less draughty than the tents and hutments. He and the Minister of Defence personally questioned those men who said they were all the better for sleeping on the kiosk verandah. The Victoria ward of Wellington Hospital had then been made available for Tn Qn?les patients. He visited the convalescents at Kaiwarra and found them well occupied and contented. Members could be assured that all the patients were provided for in an adequate way. Is the trouble abnormal, Mr G. W. Russell asked, and, if the Minister of Defence considered the rate of sickness at Trentham^was abnormal, had

he enquired into the cause with a view of removing it? The Minister replied that he had constantly enquired if anything further comd be done to reduce sickness. He did not consider the outbreak abnormal, nor anything worse than what, occurred in _au influenza, epidemicamong civilians. "May I ask the Minister of Public Health, if the cases he says are influenza are not really septic cases?" asked Dr Thacker. The Hon. R. H. Rhodes: I .say the medical officers informed me they arechiefly influenza cases. Dr Thacker (doubtingly): Chiefly/ means nearly all of them.