PLEASANT VALLEY SANATORIUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17636, 28 May 1919, Page 3

PLEASANT VALLEY SANATORIUM.

QUESTION OF SUITABILITY. VIEWS 01? MF.DIQAL DIEECTOIt. I'JGS PERMANENCE YET TO BE DECIDED. "When a deputation from South Canterbury and North Otago waited on tho Minister of Publio Works in Wellington last week to ask for tho establishment of a consumption sanatorium in South Canterbury Minister is reported to "nave said tiiat it was admitted that there was need i? 1 " "? other institution in tho South Island, # u Sanatorium being already full and the place at Palmerston having proved to be unsuitable." This sudden and somewhat sweeping statement about the Pleasant Valley Sanatorium was referred yesterday to the chairman of the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board (Mr } " r Knight)) who has beon out of town for some days past Dr Lyth, the medical director of tho Pleasant Valley Sanatorium, was also present, and gave some valuable information about the institution. Several other refercnoes to the sanatorium made on the same occasion . week were also brought under the notice of Mr Knight and Dr Lyth. The iVunister was also reported to have said urnt the department bad already notified the Otago llospitai Board that it was entirely opposed to the Palmerston Sanatorium, and that arrangements tor taking consumptives must be made elsewhere than there.

Mr .Knight said that this was no doubt a. reference to a Tetter which the Minister aad written about the Pleasant Valley °> sanatorium on April 3. The Minister wrote : '' In reference to the conversation — with you while in Dunedm in fuury, J have discussed the future of this institution with the Inspector-general. The department recognises. that neither the climate, soil, nor situation can be considered ideal for a consumption sanatorium. Ihe configuration of the ground, moreover makes the extension of the institution very ailncult. I am of opinion, therefore, that it ( would be advisable for your board to bo on the look out for a mors' suitable site in some other part of the district, and m the meantime to spend only a minimum on the place. The Inspector-general concurs in this view." This letter Mr ■K-nignt said , was simply received and acknowledged in the meantime. The board' position was that it did not admit offhan tha. the PaJmerston Sanatorium had prove to bo unsuitable. 'i.iey considered th matter was obviously one for. the board' - meillcal advisers, and to bo decide by them m conference with the Insnectoi general of Hospitals after full investirn tion One of their difficulties at Pleasan \ alley arose from their being unable t keep a permanent nursing or domestic srtaj owing to the place being eomewhat out c the way. But wherever they selected sjte for a sanatorium outside Dunedin th same trouble would exist. They did nc nave the same trouble at Cashmere Hill because it was within easy reacn of Chrisl chund l by tram. The whole questio whether the sanatorium, was to remai where it was or to be moved to some othe site would have to bo gone into by a cor ference of the board and its medical officer with the inspector-general (Dr Valintino' , le sanatorium was to remain there i 2° uld }»ve to be rebuilt, but in the mean time all plans for improvement had to b held in abeyance until the matter of sit had been finally settled in conference. I jT y jE n ? w -? he y weTe absolutely com mitted to that site they would feel free t go on with the extensions. The sanatoriun \ms opened on July 30, 1910. ,-^ r Ported out that 'on the quos tion of the suitability of sites for consump 'I^L 6ana ( 7- a , a " great deal of disagreemen among medical men would be found. Am ®* cisn v °£ a site' should depend firstli the s,,wf upon the nature o fi- rdly UP °? the lie of ground for the purpose of planning on buildings. A fourth factor which ha< finally decided the choice of the Palmerstoi site was accessibility. With' reference t chmare the fact had to be faced that ther< ef fr V°Hffo ™ , m^ !icine , as W anythinj else Ac dLffercnt times during the las ' had teen the fashion to s on voyages; to send then ranein S moist climate of the Mediter ranean coast or the • Canary Islands- t, T n £ t r 6m to the dr y climates of <&rtra mM.s+ of S ° Utll Africa; and to the m dst of the snow on the high Alps All these different climates m if f : f ! -f osses ' 3n d all had had to admit their failures. As natural reaction ™ oriical had oome. to the conclusion that for consnmn. tive3 who might b© expected to work a,"ain treatment the most suitablfdimaS wSdf Tr, Jk' WOTe work affc «- tW 4.W pomt to b ® considered wm that what suited a very-early ease misrht « a caSo of throat trouble or an advanced case. It would not- be possible to establish a sanatorium in every climate to suit every Tanety of patient. In his opinion the Palxnerston climate was a failcompromise climate. It w„ mSh Onn t r ,l Af 151050 C o^ es than some of ° of the dust y Parts or Central Otago appeared to him +r> absolutely objection^™ and dortors m there knew that their cases d?d Wlv? rS peo P' e s till sought out Central Otago under the impression that anywhere t-Lm would .k 0 advantageous to rerad tW 9 f ubsoil was con ~ PW +£11 3 the weakest point of'the srsnA ■sve- EH? vantage the property would in his opinion Hfc *° that at Cashmere at !L„3 G V '' a n tree-planting at l ieasant Valley were improving th P sit? every year from the point of view of saSI S? teeat T* nt ' ?° that it was very muX n lan was when tlie Health Dejm-tment firet approved of its selection Ihe configuration of the ground r™l sentod some, difficulties to the planning of a large institution, but those coufd be s°°Sa 7 that the place could be made good asjmj of - the older sanatoria hi New otad nd ~S aSb T®T e v^i' \u Lyth said he could not Wco with tho Minister that dryness of soil °and dryness of atmosphere were essentials in the choice of a site. ...Some of the best sanatoria m the world won. mj»la<*T\rK the chmate was comparatively wot mg a rainfall of 50 to 60 incW matter of fact what constituted a good consumptives was not yet fully ,P r , Lyth was shown another statement attnbutel by a Wellington to n' partjcular speaker, t6 the following effect j , an arrangement with the Otago Board for somo time to take patients at tho Palmerston institution; but all except rv°T°Lt 3 Patients sent down had died " Dr Lyth said it would take him some time 0 °° mpil ° the exact figures, but the statement was manifestly incorrect. He himself had seen three of tho South Canterbury in sood hoa! th, and he knew of at least one other w^o progressing sat.sfaotop.Ty. On the averse they did not expect more than 25 i>cr cent' of complete recoveries amonc the casei sent to them. Probably a third of tho ,C '\Tu 0 advanced, and a sixth were at what he. would call rnodprately advanced. VrW. °f S mcnpicnt cases, and of thr'n, 50 ; nC . nrablo - for -1 mmW ife T re alcoholic and consequently wi expected to recover. Some hopeless cm. were told before entry that "} ont 'hs sanatorium treatment 'wc-uld t™ a 'i r! " ht - ,Tt its hUvro t I" fIPCC,TO tl,cm altogether, but its Miluie to carry out tV impossible "Ppn tho sanatorium. Dr T vfh" 1 "' I+ T a ' ,lestion of site l r^- vo clmht that the «,.fe Tf th, MiirUs" T"" ? alr as essmrHal to •fcroj>+ meirt. then it absolutely certain th^t