Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 628, 17 February 1879, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1879.

The mortality among infants and j adults, which have been registered m the towns and cities of New Zealand during the last three months, has been terribly m excess of such registrations m years gone before. Infant mortality has been something frightful to contemplate, and still more appalling, when it is stated by very high medical authorities that so many deaths have occurred through a mis+oT~» ,•» tiiA a yg*.«m of medical treat-

ment which has been adopted so generally, m the case, more particularly, of children. We have been favored with a communication from Dr. MacKenna, which was lately read before the Medical Society of Victoria which, we aye sure, will be read, at the present time, with special interest. For Gisborne, m proportion to population, has had to record a higher death rate than m most other parts of the Colony. The first cause of so much infant mortality, Dr. Mackenna says is exliaustion or blight, by which is meant the fading away of the infantile vitality under the effects of heat, ancl the impalpable dust which is raised m all households during the hot months of the year; as also to the sudden changes of temperature to which Victoria and most parts of New Zealand are subjected. Dr. Mackenna says : — "My practice has not been so extensive as to have presented me with any such cases under two months old ; but, If I may judge from the entire success of incessant cold bathing and iced-water drinking with these, I have no hesitation m urging m the strongest manner the use of this agent with infants fading from exhaustion m the summer heats. The power of infants to bear any amount of cold is proved by the practice of many nations, of which I may mention one example — the Indian mothers actually break the ice to bathe and wash their just-born babies, and continue their practice daily for a considerable time, certainly without ill effects arising from it ; and I may observe that the infant suffers, whether civilised or savage, under the same conditions, m the dawn of life. "My mode of applying cold, both internally and externally, I shall state here, once for all, is n«»t by periodical exhibition, but by repetition, more or less frequent according to the urgency of the symptoms. "Infants from two to four and five months old are constantly m summer attacked with diarrhoea and often most obstinate vomiting, which, if not curable at once by those remedies that time and experience have indicated as adapted to such cases, I immediately supplement with the cold bath, and hitherto with entire success. In referring to these remedies, they are of the simplest kind, and I cannot refrain from here giving my humble opinion that the authorised system of medicination m children up to twelve or eighteen months old is m some instances perfectly monstrous." Dr. Mackenna proceeds to say : — " The principle relied on for the treatment of this and all the other cases m this essay is most simple and intelligible. A child is dying m summer of diarrhoea, which is produced by loss of vital energy, ahd which itself is produced hy heat. The rigorous deduction is that the vital energy being restored the obstruction to the due and natural performance of the healthy functions is overcome, and the disease disappears. This proposition, simple and innocent as it is at first sight, I offer to the serious and thoughtful reflection ofthe whole medical prdfessi on ; for, if I am not greatly mistaken, it bears with it a power which will, when fully and legitimately wrought out, cast into oblivion many a cherished dogma, and extend, simplify, and improve the treatment of many at present unmanageable diseases. "It may be right here to explain that I depend on the sudden shock of and not long immersion m cold water, often repeated, for the successful result of this treatment." Dr. Mackenna now proceeds to cite numerous cases m which he has completely restored children to health whom he has found, when called m, reduced to nearly the last stage of collapse. One of these many cases we quote from which answers generally for all. Dr. Mackenna says : — ' ' A poor patient brought me her infant, fourteen months old, ten days ago, and I beg especial attention of medical gentlemen to the symptoms presented m this case. She had a most violet diarrhoea for upwards of a fortnight, was pale, exhausted, emaciated, and flabby, had a most devouring thirst and ravenous appetite, a red, clean, and moist tongue, gums m the worst stage of swelling, and so-called inflammation ; her dark and brillant eyes were sunk far back m her bead, with a blue areola ; she was irritable m the extreme, and lastly, was only content when lying across her mother's knees, on her back, and her head downwards. " This infant had been hawked from druggist to druggist for a fortnight, and had undergone the whole round of remedies, beginning with calomel and " grey powder," and ending with chalkmixture, rhubarb, &c., &c, and the usual panacea, no doubt, of laudanum. I ordered the child to be bathed m water artifically cooled every three hours, or oftener, if the motions were more frequent ; to be given ice or iced water constantly, m small quantities, till the excessive thirst Wtis checked , to attend most especially to the coldness of her head and the warmth of her feet, and to put a flannel binder several times round her abdomen. Her medicine was a teaspoonful of syrup of rhubarb night and morning, and her food bread crumbs m beef or mutton tea, as a substitute for that abominal delusion arrowroot. Four days after this treatment was begun her mother brought her to me sitting straight up m her arms and with a beautiful color m her cheeks. The symptoms had all ameliorated but not disappeared, and was orderd to pursue the same remedies. Two days after this she was still improving, and on Friday morning she was well, having been perfectly relieved from a set of symptoms that every gentleman m this room will be out m considering as most ominous. " Dr. Mackenna's system has met with the general approval of the highest medical authorities. In Gisborne, as m many towns m New Zealand, ice is not at command ; but it has cold sea water within easy distance, and this Dr. Mackenna states is what should be used m preference to fresh water for the cold bathing of infants suffering from dysentery and diarrhoea.

To-morrow evening the Borough Councillors will hold their usual fortnightly meeting. The chief business will be to receive the report of Mr. Black, as regards the source from which a supply of water may be obtained ; by what means a good pressure will be had so as to raise water to above the level of any of town buildings, m case of a tire. The cost of the same, with full particulars, which will enable the Council to arrive at some delinite result. We shall not dilate for a moment as to the necessity of a water supply. That is too patent to all. We trus; that no objection will be raised to impede the action of the Council. If this be done, then the Council must exercise its full powers as conceded to them under the Municipal Corporations Act. There must no longer be any wavering or shilly-shally-ing. Water must be had. Cheaply, if possible, and promptly, if possible. 'I'h ere must be no " if's" ;no waiting. Mr. Black will be able to say what is the m<>st feasible scheme. This having been shown — then the Council must devise the necessary ways and means for payment of interest and sinking fund to meet the outlay.