TYPHOID FEVER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13683, 26 February 1908, Page 9

TYPHOID FEVER.

A SERIOUS POSITION. EIGHTY-NINE CASES IN THREE MONTHS. Addressing the Foresters' Lodge last evening on the financial —from a friendly societies' point of view— the introduction of a drainage system and improved sanitation, the district health officer. Dr. Purdy, disclosed a very serious position with reference to the outbreak of typhoid fever. He stated that during the three months from December 1, 1907, to February 25, 89 cases of enteric had been reported. These were distributed as follows: —Auckland City, 50 ; Devonport, 1; Mount Eden, 13; Newmarket, 16 ; Parnell, 1 ; Eden Terrace, 12 ; Epsom, 3; Mount Albert, 6 One-tree Hill, 2; Point Chevalier, 1; Remuera, 2; Auckland Hospital (nurses), 2: total, 89. Dr. Purdy went on to say that the deaths from typhoid in the same period were: — Newmarket, 2; Eden Terrace, 2; Mount Eden, 1. The respective ages of the persons who died were : Female, 24 (mother of three children); males, 45, 36, 30, 28.

Diarrhce* or, as it should be called, infantile epidemic diarrhoea, enteritis, and dysentery were, in addition, responsible for 13 deaths in Auckland and suburbs from December 1 to February 12. The doctor said he was able to show from figures compiled by Dr. Pabst that the cost per head of each case of typhoid to the community was £100, and £15,300 was the cost of enteric cases passing through Auckland Hospital in one year alone. The 89 cases reported in three months worked out, on that basis, at £8900. This was apart from the added loss of the five deaths, and Sir J ; G. Ward estimated the value lo the State of each working unit at £400. Dr. Pabst had stated that in one season (1896) 100 cases of tvphoid pissed through his hands r.l .Auckland Hospital. He considered that each ca.se in nursing and midn-al attendance cost £75, and with an average loss of wages, £1 a week, the average cost of each case would be £100. Thus it worked out at £15,300 for the enteric cases passing through the hospital in one vear This'sum capitalised would represent a capital sum of £300,000. But as the hospital cases represented but a part of the whole, probably the cost of enteric already represented to Auckland and suburbs "the whole of the amount of the main sewerage scheme of Mr. Midgley Taylor. TWO FRESH CASES. Two mors cases of typhoid were reported at Newmarket yesterday. An interesting object lesson is conveyed bv a map now on view in the window of 'Mr. Woollams' chemist's shop in QiHonst. The map is one of Auckland Citv and suburbs, and pins bearing yellow flags indicate where the cases of typhoid are located, alio blac't flags indicate where the deaths have occurred. A LEGAL POINT. A Hkpai.l) representative put the point to a legal authority as to whether, in case of death from typhoid, the relatives ol the deceased would have cause of action against a local authority winch had failed to provide drainage. The reply was that undoubtedly relatives had cause lor action for damages, the onus resting upon plaintiffs in such actions, to show that the local authority had, in some manner, tailed in its duty to provide for the health of the community.