IN AUSTRALIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17949, 16 November 1918, Page 8

IN AUSTRALIA.

DEATHS IN MELBOURNE. ly felegwkph—Press lisocTaWon—Copyright. MELBOURNE, November 15. len deaths from influenza have ocsince puarantine was instituted. VIEWS OF CORRESPONDENTS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—A' few hints which, I have used successfully for year 3 may be of value. Put the patient to bed, care being taken not to remove woollen vest (unless extra' night-clothes are worn), as warmth sufficient to keep up vitality is

needed even in inflammation or feverishness, which is so prevalent at , this time, influenza being a slow, smouldering kind of fever. Double a blanket and laj' it so as to be where the patient's legs will lie, and if handy apiece of macintosh underneath to prevent dampness. Fold a large Turkish towel and put it in a bowl, then pour over boiling water, press down so as to ensure all parts being wet, if necessary. Wring, pack the feet and legs in over the knees, wrapping the blanket carefully round each leg with ends* of same, applying cold cloths over the stomach and heart, taking care in applying the cold if patient is weak. In such a case only moderately cool cloths (tepid) should be used- A cold towel round the head with a dry one on pillow to prevent dampness, is also safe and good, and sometimes preferable, but remove when pack is taken off, outting a dry handkerchief round forehead and head, thus relieving hard pain in head, which is a symptom of the trouble. The patient should fall into a nice sleep for perhaps one hour or more. Remove packs, doing one leg at a time, and keep covered as much as possible- Wipe the limbs with vinegar and warm water equal parts, or hot water and a little Coutts s acetic acid and warm olive oil; put oil in saucer and stand over a cup of boiling water. Cover well, giving patient sips of cold water or home-made fruit drinks while in pack. Give light food, milk and water and milk diet generally. Give small quantities frequently rather than a good deaf at once. Cold packing is safe only in extreme cases of fever, and then a strong person only could stand it, but never use cold without.a good hot bottle at the feet. A bottle at the feet will cause patient to perspire more freely in hot pack, thus throwing off all foreign matter through the pores. If a bad cough appears, as is often the case with influenza, make a flannel bag about 18in long, lOin in width, leaving a piece of flannel to overlap, then get a moderately sized clipper, three parta

till wi:'.i hViix . -;: o .'na « h thor~K:£.i!v lis.v.j hy. . wt wot v.iv- !>-n.i. and t'i» into Iwyj use warm oi,, pui ' :n n on with tin,! bund,-.then apuly, poultice between shoulders, oil chest'and put cold cloth and flannel over: if that gets hot, apply another cold, keeping this on three-quar-ters of an hour or one hour. When taking poultice off, sponge with vinegar and water and warm oil, nutting piece of warm flannel on back arid chest. Lot patient rest quietly and keep very warm. The. pack or poultice raises vitality, thereby taking down the temperature with perspiration. Carry out these two processes effectively and carefully, and a cure, will result. I have also applied a poultice to the small'of the back when there has been pain and weakness there.

One of my family came homo to lunch very ill last week. I helped her to bed and took her temperature, which registered 103. I at once applied the hot pack, and in one hour and a half'she was in a good perspiration, and when she was made comfortable and leg? sponged temperature only registered 95deg. These packs I used twico, and for a severe cough three bran poultices when the patient would have got up, but I kept her warm in bed for two or three days. These simple remedies rightly applied I am sure would greatly reduce the death rate in our city and relieve pressure on doctors and citizens alike.—l am, etc., A MOTHER.

(A medical man to whom the. foregoing suggestions wore submitted described them as excellent.—Ed. " L.T.' ) TO THE EDITOB. Sir,—As influenza is about in a very severe form at present, will you please grant space for four very good and inexpensive preventives? I have been with some very severe case 3 without getting it myself, owing, I believe, to the following precautions which I have taken:— Ammoniated quinine, according to directions oh, bottle, which can be bought for sixpence. . A little sulphur eaten occasionally, preferably dry, or could be taken in milk. Smell camphor often, and occasionally eat a tiny piece. i Warm water with salt in-breathed through the nostrils until it enters the throat. Any of these preventives is really good if taken in time. Every child should have a little bag of camphor to ,use. Hoping others will benefit from the above hints as I have done, —I am, etc., GRACE HEAVEN. (An authority states that the present correspondent's methods are harmless. They may be of some use, but aro not. reliable as preventives.— Ed. " L.T.") to th* snrro*. Sir, —That the influenza is playing havoc in Christchurch there is no doubt and I think that the majority are taking precautions more seriously than at first. I noticed in yesterday's paper that the Lyttelton Borough Council were taking steps to spray their streets with a strong disinfectant to help to destroy the germs. Now we have the very best things procurable for spraying the streets, namely, the Tramway Board's sprinklers, and I would suggest that the City Council procure a quantity of disinfectant and add so much to every sprinkler and let the Tramway Board spray our streets first thing in the mornings, and I ,am sure that it would help to cope with the disease considerably.— I am, etc., K. M. MURRAY. 10 THX EDITOR. Sir, —Influenza was very bad in England twenty-eight years ago. Dr Bott, Medical District Superintendent, and also colonel of the Volunteer*, Brentford District, Middlesex, said that there would be no more large socials held while this mysterious enemy was amongst ue, because as a result of all tlio big meetings he had been to there were afterwards hundreds of sufferers. I asked our club doctor, Dr Ball, of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, next day what he considered the best thing to do as a preventative. He told mo to get some gas tar, heat it and' inhale the fumes, and, being sick visitor for the club myself at the time, he told me to advise all members down with it to take a hot dose of whisky and get into the blankets, and stay there. Ho received the thanks of hundreds of members, as his advice saved them from an illness which in many cases might have proved fatal. — Hoping this may be of some benefit to your readers, I am, etc., H. GREENBANK. TO THE Bnrroß. Sir, —Various meetings aro being held to discuss and act on means to combat this awful scourge, and so I wish to suggest one thing which I consider will go a long way towards ridding us of this trouble- We axe having very warm weather, and always winds. of one sort or another, and therefore a fair amount of dust. We also have a fine water supply, which I believe could be used very advantageously just now, and. I would suggest the question of giving the streets a thorough wash down. One has only' to give a very casual glance to notice that our streets would come to no harm with a gcod wash, not, mind you, that I suggest that our streets are any dirtier than those of any other town, on tho contrary, I consider they compare more than favourably with any I have seen either in New Zealand, France or England. But these are extraordinary times, and therefore need extraordinary attention. I would suggest that a number of men be employed to do this job, starting, say, about ten or eleven o'clock at night with lengths of hose, and working well into daylight. Noneed for fire engines- _ The plugs and pressure are there waiting. Also I think it would be advisable to put a stop to all motor-cars, etc., except those used in any branch of the service of health, for mot<rM!»irs rajse a large nount of dust a* they rush along, and it is the peuesti : ians who get the full benefit of that.—Hoping some abler pen than mine will take this matter up, f am, eto., F _ LANDERY .

TO THE EDITOR. t Sir —ln connection with this serious epidemic, I would suggest that the combined churches unitedly got busy " in alleviating the sufierms: and combating tlie awful scourge. rne various Sunday school halls, together with many of the churches, could be suitably accommodated as temporary hospitals, being controlled by members of the church. Much is being done by a noble band of workers, and much more could be done during this critical epidemic by the suggested combined eifort of the Christian fraternity.—l am> et °" R. H. STILLWELL. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l wish to inquire, through the medium of your paper, why the Tramway Board has omitted Papanui with one of its inhalation cars. This undoubtedly is one of the most important linos under its charge, as it embraces Papanui, Harewood, Styx and Belfast. Many of the inhabitants have been complaining of the board overlooking us.— I am, etc. D.B. (The general manager of the tramways, in response to inquiries last night, said that there were about six places on the lines, including North' Beach and St Martins, at which no cars were nlnced. The Tramway Board was supplying cars at positions stated by the" Health Department, and would attend to outlying stations when requested to do so.) TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—As I believe it is the overworked people who are most, likely to fall victims of influenza I would like to

propose tir:u :.; Minnas p.sices should su-t? -for a "•'••. i-;.' Oi cour&3 wo mu.it L-.vxi luoii, inic'i tlie bakers, butchers ,nd ,;in>ro;v cun'.a rennuii o\i<.n mornings only. To make this possible volunteers from the pnb'ic could give them a hand. It would perhaps help considerably to combat this awful epidemic—l am. etc., TIRED.