INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 13

INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

ADDRESS BY MR FOWLDS. (Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, March 23. The new Infectious Diseases Hospital was opened to-day by the Minister of Public Health. After congratulating all concerned in the enterprise, and emphasising Wellington's need of such an institution, Mr Fowlds remarked that there were doubtless many present who thought that the amount of money that it was proposed to spend on these buildings was very large, and that was certainly the case, but the expenditure was not by any means unnecessary or extravagant, as the accomodation had been reduced to the lowest possible limit compatible with safety and- efficiency, ; and he might say that relatively Wellingi ton needed more extensive accommodation ' for cases of infections diseases than any of the other large/ centres, inasmuch as the population was more congested, and there was a larger proportion of persons living in each house than was the case in Auckland, Christc/iureh, or Dunedin. Hence it was extremely difficult to isolate persons in their own homes. " This question of dealing with infectious diseases," continued the Minister, " calls to my mind a section in the new act which I trust will be duly taken advantage of bv the local authorities, and that thev will delegate their powers under the Health Act to the hospital board of the district, so that tho .latter body could assume the powers of a board of heatlh. One naturally could not exnect a large municipality such as the Wellington Corporation to delegate all its powers under the {Public Health Act, but it might with great advantage as regards efficiency and economy leave the responsibility as to notification and isolation of and disinfection after cases of infectious disease to the Hospital Board. The smaller local "bodies might waive nearly all theh\powers under the act to the board except those that would involve considerable expenditure, such as provision for water supply and drainage." Mr Fowlds said that as the act allowed a board to appoint committees composed of persons of both sexes who were not necessarily members of the board, he would like to see a public health committee formed, comprised of certain members of the board, with every Mayor, or chairman of a local authority in the district, an ex-officio member of that committee. By that means concerted action could be taken as regai'ds the public health of the district, which was by no means the case under the present system.