JUSTICE TO THE LIVING AND DEAD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 741, 14 May 1886, Page 29

JUSTICE TO THE LIVING AND DEAD.

TO THE THE EDITOR OF NEW ZEALAND MAIL g IK , A few days ago Colonel Roberts unveiled a monument erected at Manaia to the memory of those who fell in defence of law and order, and in part of his speech said, “He should be neglecting the duty which lay upon him to show honor to his dead comrades, if he did not say a few words expressive of his admiration of the devoted conduct of the hrave men whose names were there recorded.” And There stands the monument as a memorial that they are not forgotten. And now for the living. _ I am only one out of about 700 who show that they are entitled to land promised to them by the Government, and because they did not put in their claims at a certain date they are told they have lost all claim. Never did I think when I saw men following the Maoris for days, half-starved, wet, weary, in the wild bush, the wet ground to lie on, and often helped to bury them, that men who served their country so faithfully would be treated by a grateful Government by putting obstacles in the way of them getting what they were entitled to, and illegally deprived of. There is yet time to rectify the evil. Surely at the next meeting of the Assembly they will take into consideration the report made by the last Commission, viz., “But we think that the Legislature should be invited to reconsider the matter, and, if practicable, restore their rights to all those men enrolled before the 31st October, 1876, who subsequently by continuous service, completed their five years as efficient Volunteers.” Then it goes on to state that should the grants be°given in what way it should be given, «fcc.” By doing justice to the living, it would only be a small cost to the country, especially as large quantities of land have been given away for nothing only because people paid their own passages to New Zealand. Sir, I appeal to you, your readers, and the Government, to help forward these few remarks which I feel will be recognised as just by all who value justice.—l am, &c., F. Stidolph. Wellington, May 4, 1886.

TYPHOID FEVER. TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL. Sir, —The public ought to be thankful to you for taking this matter up in earnest. The want of drains may render any situation unhealthy. , The refuse, vegetable, and animal matters are thrown by people in heaps near their dwellings to decompose, and are not removed except at long intervals. The occurrence of fever is connected with close proximity to even a small amount of decomposing organic matter. Let every house be provided with proper receptacles for refuse. Filth, intemperance, disease, and a high rate of morality may be traced to the absence of sanitary arrangements. Let the public insist on a Medical Board of Health being estab lished, and see that the Insj&ator of Nuisances does not go to sleep, -<si& Wellington will become the healthiest city in the Colony.—l am, &c., Temperance.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TiMKS. Sir, —In your issue of the 4th you, as is usual in Wellington, attribute the prevalence of typhoid fever to the imperfect drainage of the city, an<a you arrive at such conclusion from t he “ pronouncements ” of medical men. Starting -by saying that when typhoid fever does break out its cure is simple, certain, and rapid when properly treated, I will show that bad drainage has not so much to do with the disease as you assume. I suppose you and the supporters of your theory will admit that the Royal Family and the nobility do not come in contact with sewers. Now, I will cite cases by which some idea may be arrived at as to how the disease may arise and how a patient may be scientifically killed. I will quote from Smedley, who has cured thousands of cases which were given up by the doctors as hopeless, and who ha 3 cured doctors when they and their fellow doctors had given up all hope. “ The Prince Consort returning from shooting in Windsor Park, and sitting down to luncheon without changing all hi 3 dress, and afterward, with a cold upon him, going to a review, and staying at a cold, country railway station. ... A pack, or even a hot dripping sheet, would have saved him. . . . We have not lost a case of typhoid fever out of the vast number we have treated at their own homes or at our hospitals when we have been called in before mortification had actually set in. . . . The pores of the skin in an | ordinary sized man throw off two pounds of insensible perspiration every 24 hours. Now, what must be the effect, especially in men who had lived in luxury as the Prince and his father, and Lord Chesterfield ? . The waste is kept in ; the liver is partly paralysed from doing its work in purifying the blood—the kidneys also, and to remedy this a lot of doctors—every one with his own notions, founded onno scientific reasons—pour drugs into the stomach, and to crown all, or rather to seal the patient’s fate, by giving opiates, which stop vital action, besides purgatives to weaken and irritate the bowels. No application to the great depurative organ—the skin. The poor Prince Consort had not a shadow of a chance of life,

nor Lord Chesterfield either, under the care of the highest medical talent in the kingdom. If the young and previously robust Prince survives, it will be by the skin of his teeth. Had they been poor men, and left to simple remedies of warmth and gruel, they might have recovered, as thousands do. . ... .As to effluvium from sewers, it is bad enough, and dangerous enough, but how do scavengers stand it fer a life 1 It is the drugs that kill.” The above reads plainly enough to me, and no doubt will to others. As you and others pretend to set the highest value upon what doctors say or write, I presume the opinions of the following eminent men should not be without weight. They are only a few out of a legion of eminent doctors who have condemned the profession in unmistakeable terms. I will head my list with the name and opinion of a 'doctor who is known to all the world ; Sir Astlev Cooper declares that “Thescience of medicine is founded on conjecture and improved by murder.” - I)r Majendie pronounces that “ Medicine is a great humbug. ” Sir J. Forbes tells the world that ‘ ‘ln a large majority of cases diseases are cured by nature, in spite of doctors.” Dr Baker writes that “ The drugs administered for scarlet fever-destroy far more than the disease does.”

Dr Froth says “There is scarcely a more dishonest trade than medicene. ’ Dr T. Watson “ Our profession is continually floating on a sea of doubt about questions of great importance.” Dr Coggs says “ Were medicine abolished mankind would be infinitely the gainers.” Dr Franck “ Thousands are annually slaughtered in the sick-room.”

Dr Mason Grode “ Medicine is a jargon that has destroyed more than war, pestilence, and famine combined.”

One professional, whose name I forget, tells the world that a diploma is simply a licence to kill. I could go on quotirfg Abernethy, Professor Kirk, Cowen, Trail, Smedley, and others, but I think I have quoted enough to warn people from taking doctors’ advice as necessarily' beneficial. Sylvester Graham shows that his followers were enabled to go through the hospitals when cholera and other diseases were raging, while those who did not follow his advice succumbed. Fevers and other diseases are created from various causes, amongst the worst is vaccination, which is the greatest scourge to the human race, but at last, and happily, resisted in England. Eating too much of any food, eating it at improper times, eating improper food, brings on disease as well as ' want of personal cleanliness, whereby the pores of the skin are kept open. Milk often brings on disease, but, as testified by persons professional and unprofessional who have cured thousands by remedies which everyone can use, any disease not rendered incurable by doctors’ drugs and torturing is simply and quickly cured. Of course bad drainage is not to be overlooked, but it i 3 not the principal cause of disease, and should not be quoted as such, when much greater causes exist ; and as to the drainage of Wellington, it is, in my opinion, in a very fair state ; there is little or no fall from the quays to the sea, and all the drainage of the hills goes into this all but level set of sewers. When the Council have water they use it to clean the drains ; when they have not, they are obliged to leave it alone. But I fail to see any improvement m following the advice of your correspondents, and turning all the waterclosets into this all but level narrow slip which we have, through which the town sewage i 3 emptied into the sea. By all means let the drainage he gradually improved, but don’t let us shut our eyes to the main causes of disease, namely, improper diet, want of personal cleanliness, drugs, alcohol, &c., &c.—l am, &c., Colonist.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sir, —I have read your leading articles on this subject. Your opinion has been ably and emphatically endorsed by your contemporary. The question arises, What is to be done ? The Public Health Act, 1876, gives ample powers to the City Council to enforce sanitary laws—to make each citizen keep his own place clean. Let the Council study that Act. Invite medical reports as to the state of the city ; scientific reports as to the cost of complete sewerage. Offer a L2G prize for the best essay on the subject within one month ; present results to a convened public meeting of ratepayers, with motions as to ways and means ; and battle the enemy typhoid in the following manner :—By enforcing compliance with sections 41 to 52, 56 to 67, and 80 to 83 of the Public Health Act actively, with extra inspectors tempororily —“ as witnesses in Court if necessary ; ” compel citizens to suppress the nusiance by means of whitewashing, chloride of lime, disinfecting powder, and cremation. These appliances are economical, and will tend to deodorise the atmosphere, and crush the germs of disease, leaving harmless rubbish for the night carts. I use Calvert’s carbolic for my house, at a cost of about Is a month. Mine is a skeleton proposal ; let the proper officers of the Health Board fill in details for procedure. During the last ten days I have visited various localities in this city, and am of opinion speedy and thorough reform is needed, with a view to cleanliness in backyards, and flushing channels leading into thoroughfares. I would also suggest to the City Council the necessity of complying with section 44, Public Health Act, by erecting more urinals (to be continually flushed and deoderised) in the busy centres ; for the makeshifts for purposes of nature by pedestrians at the present time are indecent and demoralising, creating most unhealthy nuis-

ances, which aid the enemy typhoid.—l am, &c., Eton Boy. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL Sir, —I see by Mr Johnston’s report to the City Council re typhoid fever scare, that three cases came from a boardinghouse in Dixon-streefc, near where the morgue was situated. I must state that only one case occurred in my place, and the patient is now convalescent. During the eight years that I have had the boarding-house this is the first case of fever that has occurred. —I am, &c., M. Neil, Working Man’s Retreat. Dixon-street, Wellington, May 7.