A SIDELIGHT ON THE ANNEXE.

New Zealand Herald, Issue 17266, 16 September 1919, Page 9

A SIDELIGHT ON THE ANNEXE.

Sir,— operating theatre of the Auck- I land Military Hospital has been put up j lat considerable expense. Till recently all ' ! patients were operated on at the general ; | hospital, being transported by motor i ambulance. While this was far from ideal, i especially in bone cases, still results for : the last three years have shown that plan j worked quite satisfactorily. As to the I operating theatre itself, which has been j in use for about three weeks, it is most ; inconvenient. The table is so high that i even the tallest of the surgeons using it j has to stand on a stool, otherwise cramps i ; of the arms occur, even in a short opera- I ' t'.on. The supply of instruments is quite ' ; inadequate for major operations. The patients are brought in on a wheeled stretcher, at least a foot lower than the table, and a very awkward lift follows. Residents are' continually changing, so ; that, their interest in their cases lags, and j they do not get used to working with a i surgeon before they make place for an- I • other. Medical orderlies are provided, ! ! but their duties seem to be rather that [ : of glorified porters than of nursing order- ! lies, and they have no facilities for learn- ■ , I ing technique necessary for an orderly. : The X-Ray apparatus is not sufficiently , ' I powerful to penetrate a well-built man, ■ ; and such cases are being held up in the j meantime, as the apparatus at the general : i hospital is being renovated. At present j neurasthenia, bronchitis, tubercular cases, i especially chronic tubercular diseases of ' bones, lie side by side with surgical cases. ' The procedure for admitting soldiers needs ; considerable improvement, as there seems ! to be no machinery whereby a soldier tak- i ing suddenly ill at night with some con- j j dition due to his active service can be I admitted. The annexe has been carried I on for the last three years by the honorI ary staff of the general hospital, and these ' | gentlemen have given their services gratis j •to the Defence Department. The same I ' arrangement is in vogue at present, the officers of the Department of Defence being I responsible for administrative duties, resi- ' dent duties, anaesthetics, and out-patients. The amount'of surgical work, unless of a very minor kind, has so dwindled now as _to be almost negligible. As regards 'vocational treatment, splint-making was ' j taught in England to certain men. .aid the : i late surgeon-general was repeated'y asked 'to cbta'n one of these men. Nothing was j done till quite recently ; a splint-maker j ! arrived, but has as yet no materials. A I sister expert in plaster work was obtained, I I under some idea that large numbers of the I patients were in plaster of Paris. I One of the Surgeons. I