COMMON SENSE NEEDED.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1489, 20 November 1918, Page 5

COMMON SENSE NEEDED.

FRESH AIR AND REASON. Fresh air is absolutely essential to the efficient combating 'of iullucnza. But it is dear from the experience of doctors in and around Christchurch that many people have not been exercising sufficient common sense in regard to the use of fresh air. As one doctor put it to a Sun representative, ‘‘draughts prevent the healthy person from contracting influenza, but they promote the death of the iniluenza patient from pneumonia.” The doctor emphasised that while there must be plenty of fresh air it is imperative that the jtatient must be kept free from draughts. This is not attained bv merely seeing that the bed is out of a direct draught. The parts of the body affected by draughts must be kept protected. Instances were cited of inexperienced helpers going into sick persons’ rooms and immediately throwing open the windows without seeing that the neck, shoulders and chest are covered. Inducing Perspiration. Sometimes, too, bedclothes are piled on a patient, with the object of inducing perspiration, without regard to the question whether the patient is a suitable one for such treatment, and without the upper part of the body being covered. The physician quoted a case in which an abnormal quantity of clothing was piled on a frail little girl of six years of age, who was already too weak to stand such treatment. And yet her chest, shoulders and neck were left with very little covering. The doctor promptly reduced the bed clothing considerably, but saw that it did cover the upper part of the child’s body. Children arc particularly prone to throw their arms about when they are feverish, and uncover their chests and necks, and they require particular care iu this respect. The effect of a patient being left in a draught is that the lungs are chilled, and their power of resistance to the pneumonic organisms is reduced. It is easy for a draught to turn influenza into pneumonia. A doctor cited an instance iu which a young fellow, 19 years of age, who was “getting on famously” under treatment for influenza, left his bed in order to see that his mother, also a patient, was taking her medicine. The young fellow went out of his room into a passage, and then into another room, and was not away from his own bed for very long. But pneumonia supervened, and an urgent call for assistance for him was sent out. Within 10 minutes of the doctor reaching the house the young man was dead. Other Precautions. It is pointed out also that care shouh! be taken to see that patients who have recovered sufficiently to leave their beds are properly protected from draughts, even if they do not go outside their houses. “One elderly patient whom I called upon,” said a physician, “was sitting up iu a room, with her ordinary clothing on, and coughing continuously. I simply wrapped her iu a blanket, as she sat there, covering the neck and chest as well as the rest of the body, and the coughing ceased. There must be fresh air, but it must be used sensibly.” In affording protection against draughts, people must not rush to the other extreme. “Stuffy rooms are the very worst thing for either patient or attendant,” said the District Health Officer to-day. “Everything must be open, but the neck and shoulders, and chest of a patient must be covered with a sufficient woollen material—not too heavy. Healthy persons must accustom themselves to so-called standing draughts.” It may be noticed also that a regard for protection from chill is also insisted upon as necessary in instructions issued by a responsible officer of the Public Health Department for the treatment of various phases of the disease. These instructions are as follow: — HIGH TEMPERATURE. First tepid sponge lace and tlicn body, keeping body covered except part being sponged. Keep the bed linen as clean as possible, doors and windows open, but keep patient well covered and protected from chill. DELIRIOUS CASES. Hot compress to feet. Cold compress to head. Apply compress to feet first. BLEEDING. Gold compress to back of neck, and raise patient’s head. Not feet. PNEUMONIA. Hot compress on back between shoulders, which must lie kept hoi. Skilful Treatment Essential. It should, however, be borne in mind that the application of compresses, fomentations, mustard, footbaths in bod, and other methods of hydropathic treatment of the disease must be‘applied efficiently. Cases are known in which unskilful application of fomentations, compresses, c-te., have been harmful. Sometimes the whole of a patient’s bedding has been saturated. An expert in these matters says that it is impossible to give proper directions for such treatment in a newspaper article. The instruction in methods must be personal, and must have regard to the particular needs of individual cases. For this reason, the District Health Officer has accepted the offer of Mrs E. E. Jones, of the Sitzkoma Health Rooms, Bank of Australasia Chambers—an expert in hydropathic treatment—to give instruction in hydropathic methods free to workers in the campaign against influenza.