INFLUENZA COMMISSION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 76, 31 March 1919, Page 7

INFLUENZA COMMISSION.

(United Press Association) DUNEDIN, This Day. - Before • the Influenza Commission at Dunedin, Dr. Ghamptaloup, Professor of Bacteriology . and Public Health, said the World’s leading authorities had divergent. views on the disease. Expert opinion at present, was divided iyyp lines, one, believing that the influenza: bacillus was;the primary cause, and other -a micro organisms secondary invaders alter the way had been prepared for them- Other experts believed that, the real,.cause .was a filter passing virus too small to be recognised by , tile microscope, and that the influenza bacillus and other micro organism:.l; were ..all secondary, Anvadors. A,t present experimental evidence in support of the second view was needed. Dr. Chamtaio.up handed'in a report from the. medical school in the scientific aspects of the epidemic, presenting .clinical and bacteriological aspects. ; The , results agreed, very closely wjth tiibse obtained in America, whilst workers in Australia were finding similar conditions., Ip the light of pre-sent-day knowledge, we could expect very little help in preventing future epidemics : fiw>m Jprotectiv© (inocuJatjib n by moans bl bacteriological vacmes madeit-roto micro, organisms found to be most frequently present : in the tissue:,of severe; cases! He was of opinion tfiatprotective inoculation . gave ip ' firyiny . ©I., those;, inoculated a. varying, and Very, slight degree of protection, sufficient. in ; some., cases to all the difference 'between a naild attack on one hand and a severe . or > fatal; attack on tbe, other. THp ideal condition yo>dd be to administer the vaedne before the epidemic appeared, for there was a tfrtain amount of risk in. giving, it for persons who might be incubating tuC disease. -'. For this reason apd the red; son that the protection. afforded was piabiomatiic, he did Inert) recommend wholesale inoculation (luring the last There were two classes oi people, however, for. whom the vaccine . should ,be available as soon .as an epidemic was likely,, viz., doctors, nurses, and voluntary,. workers, and those who for any reason had an unusual dread of. the disease. ’ To these people inoculation would, give confidence, apart from specific protection, and, .there could bo no doubt that, fright contributed to the deaths. Speaking on improvements > m the health service, ho considered active control of the Health ami Hospital Services was now too much for one mam and suggested a Director-General with a Deputy Chief Health, Officer and ; a Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals 5 also that the.,four central, di?tries? be divided, and Junior medical officers be stationed^ma^gu^ab^^sub^enU'es.