CONSUMPTION

Southland Times, Issue 19098, 16 November 1923, Page 5

CONSUMPTION

NEW ZEALAND’S LOW DEATH RATE. DREYER TREATMENT ON TRIAL. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, November 15. Interviewed regarding the tuberculosis discussion at the Australian Medical Congress, Dr G. J. Blackmore, in charge of the Canterbury Hospital Board’s sanatorium for consumptives, said he attributed the low death rate in New Zealand to good general living conditions, fresh air, and sunlight, and good housing. It had been noticed at Home for a very long time that improvement in housing and general conditions* of living had steadily reduced the amount of tuberculosis, and housing was considered the chief factor inbringing about a reduction in older countries. What he regarded as most important of all was a system of uniformly dealing with the disease throughout the Domininon. There were whole sections of the Dominion not getting anything done for them, as they did not belong to any hospital district that could afford sanatorium work. It would be better to have combined control. ,

Dr Blackmore said he was very pleased he was dealing with children at Cashmere. In trying to prevent the disease, if it could be prevented, among children, they would be going a long way in getting rid of the disease altogether. Referring to the Australian figures regarding tuberculosis in dairy herds, Dr Blackmore said that figures from abattoirs showed that many cattle and pigs were condemned for tuberculosis, and that the pigs got tuberculosis from the’ milk they were fed upon. When herd tests were carried out in connection with the supply of milk for institutions controlled by the Canterbury Board, about 25 per cent, had to be rejected and yet they were in excellent condition. If the matter was gone into it would be found that New Zealand was just as bad as Australia. Dr Blackmore started the Dreyer treatment about the beginning of last month. It was too early yet to give an opinion about it, but he had an- opportunity of giving a very full test as the vaccine had come out promptly and quite a lot of patients were undergoing treatment. The Dreyer treatment was very different from the Spahlinger treatment, not so much in material as in the way it was being dealt with by the discoverer. Professor Dreyer had asked the people to test the treatment and had given full details and jsent vaccine out. From Spahlinger they could get nothing, and he would net allow anyone who knew the subject to test his vaccine. He simply refused to allow anyone to put it to the test.

Referring to the work of £he sanatorium Dr Blackmore said very early cases of consumption went out with the disease arrested. It was nearly 14 years since the institution opened and they had taken in cases of every description. Many had died within a few days of admission, yet it was known that over 70 per cent, of all those who had ever entered the sana-

torium were still alive and the figures were improving every year.