FUND FOR RESEARCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18941, 12 February 1925, Page 12

FUND FOR RESEARCH.

[ MINISTER'S STATEMENTS. ATTACK ON THE HERALD. j CHARGE OF PREJUDICE. "EVERYTHING POSSIBLE ' DONE." The following statement has been forwarded for publication by the Minister for Health, Sir Maui Pomare: — In its sub-leader of Saturday last the New Zealand' Herald again refers to the two statements —one admittedly made, and the other alleged to have been made—by myself regarding the request of the j Auckland branch of tho British Medical Association for a Government grant to taabla research to be made into infantile; paralysis. I told the 8.M.A., on the evening lie motion was carried, that the proposal had my support, and that I .would pl&ce it before Cabinet. which would give it sympathetic consideration. That was my intention, and in spite of what the Herald has reported me to have said at a subsequent interview, is still ray intention. There was no occasion or necessity. for me to withdraw from the promise I made, nor did I do so. " I am surprised that the Hebald should decline to accept my statement that I did not make tie remarks attributed to me by its representative, who, by tho way, took no notes during the course of the interview, and yet reported mo verbatim, as follows:-—" * Research into the various aspects of infantile paralysis is being conducted by the Health Department in both Auckland and Wellington. In the circumstances there is no call for a special grant for the purpose as suggested by the Auckland branch, of the British Medical Association," said the Minister, Sir Maui Pom are, yesterday.,' Reaffirmation of Denial. " I repeat, no such statement was made by me. It would have been stupid in the extreme for me to contradict a statement made by myself less than 24 hours previously. The natural conclusion is that a mistake was made on the part of the Herald. Nor is it conceivable that I would have adopted this means of conveying to tho B.M.A. my alleged and abrupt change of attitude. The matter under discussion is one of vital concern to the public of Auckland, and the rest of the Dominion. The Herald, as well as the Health Department, has a duty to the public, and its proper course in this instance, I maintain, when such an obvious discrepancy was apparent, was to refer the matter back to myself. This was not done; no opportunity was afforded me, or even courtesy extended me, in this respect. The Herald .instead evidently preferred to question my veracity just as it questioned my taking over the portfolio of health, when it stated at that time:— ' Owing no direct responsibility to Eur<>pean electors, Sir Maui Pomare should not be holding a portfolio in which Europeans are so nearly concerned.' A poor argument after all, but that is by the way. Knowing the Herald's prejudice to myself as Minister for Health, I have been particularly careful its anything I have had to say to its representatives. But one mast be doubly careful, it seems. The Herald declines to accept my denial: so do I decline to accept responsibility for the, statement attributed to me. I suggested by telephone where an honest misunderstanding may have arisen; in answering a question by the reporter in regard to the pro-posals-of the 8.M.A., I stated that wo were already doing what had been suggested,' as two of the most suitable professional men in this country were devoting their time to this one snbject alone. The rest of the report, however, expresses the Heeaxd's representative's conclusions in his own words—not mine. The Question of Sertun. The Herald proceeds to take exception to what the department- has done, and states; that the lack of serum in Auckland could have been overcome by the department, reinforced, if necessary, had it been alert to the emergency. The. Herald may not know that serum can only be obtained -from i. the blood of patients who have already had the disease, and people cannot be forced to give their blood. It is purely a voluntary matter, and those who have given their blood, or the blood of their children, for serum are to be highly commended. How, therefore, could any reinforcement of the department's staff in any way affect, the question of overcoming the difficulty of obtaining serum ? As a matter of fact, in the case of Auckland, the department did, when the first Auckland cases occurred, telegraph to King George V. Hospital, Rotorua, and in other ways endeavour to aid the Auckland hospital staff in tracing old cases. We cabled long ago for supplies of serum, but they have not yet come to hand, and in the meantime we have made our own serum as far as possible. Again, every available medical officer, nurse and inspector of the school medical and oihor divisions of the department was promptly thrown into this special service. No Suggestions from B.M.A. "The question was put to the B.M.A. in Wellington, and I personally asked the same question of the B.M.A. in Auckland, as to whether they had any farther suggestions to make to the department for the combating of this disease. At the Wellington conference all present expressed their satisfaction with the steps taken. Minor recommendations only were made with regard to the collation of facts ip epidemic survey, and these were promptly embodied in the survey which already was on tho lines recommended by the English and American health services, and was commented upon by tht» medical men present as very complete. In respect of isolation restrictions, it may be said that though the steps now taken in New Zealand have been recommended more than once, neither England nor America has yet faced their adoption. St tho very beginning of the outbreak, the department stepped in at Pctonc and Wellington city with complete isolation of all. the first 30 families affected. At the recent meeting in Auckland no further suggestions were made and everyone appeared satisfied. The resolution of the 8.M.A., in Auckland, is sufficient, at any rate for reasonably-minded people, to show that tho Health Department >ms done everything possible within its power. "Personally. I am more or less indifferent as to the Herald's opinion of myself, but I do most strongly resent any unwarranted attack upon my department, particularly at a time when public confidence in'its efforts ought not to be needlessly shaken, and more especially when the attack is not justified by the facts, The Herald may not be satisfied, but the medical profession, which is in a bettor position to judge, is satisfied that the department is doing its utmost. — Hji ! t Reference is made by the Minister to the resolution by the Auckland division of the B.M.A. It was as follows.*—"That this meeting, while recognising the excellent work that the Health Department is doing, is of opinion that further research work 'offers the only means of establishing the early diagnosis and successful - treatment of infantile paralysis; and urges the Government to extend its efforts in this direction by providing an 'adequate fund to pursue bacteriological and experimental research "by medical practitioners. The meeting also suggests that the Government should offer an adequate prize for the most helpful original essay on infantile paralysis.' 1