The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1904. THE MEDICAL CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 63, 18 March 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1904. THE MEDICAL CONFERENCE.

At the Modica! Conference, which opened in Wellington on Monday, Iho President, Dr. Collins, delivered n very interesting address. The whole of It would occupy too much of our space to re-producii, but we give the following portion, as it contains matter of great public interest :—Dr. Collins said there wero three classes of disease, the study of which would help to diminish our death-rate. These were puerperal fever, phthisis, and cancer. It ought to be possible to reduce the mortality from puerperal fever to a minimum. The number of deaths which resulted from puerperal fever in 1902 was registered as 25. Although this did not seem very high, it did not in any

way indicate the number of women who hail been invalided more or less for life as the result of disease brought about by seplic infection. In order to minimise as far us possible the amount of disease to which womein were liable at. child-birth, It

was necessary that every woman about to be confined should be given the opportunity of placing herself under the care of a duly qualified nurse. Ily having thoroughly trained obstetrical nurses who had been, taught all the more recent methods of guarding against the possibility of septic infection, the dangers Immedi- | ate and remote attendant upon childbirth would be very materially lessened, and the mortality of new-born infanta markedly decreased. In calling attention lo the practice among women of artificially feeding their infants, he felt it to be his duty as a medical practitioner to state that the natural feeding of the child by the mother undoubtedly conduced to the health of both. The disease wkich undoubtedly caused the heaviest mortality in New Zealand was undoubtedly phthisis. It seemed to him that in the lesson on elementary laws of health which he had suggested should be impressed upon the children or the seventh standard before leaving school, one of the things to bo explained would be the cause of this disease. They should be informed that a chronic cough was a source of danger, that the frequent catching of colds was very often a predisposing cause of consumption by rendering respiratory hracts less «bl« to resist the disease, and that the germs of the disease were in 1 he breath and phlegm of persons suffering from pulmonary phthisis. There should be a periodical examination of the weakly children in our public schools. By such nn examination the family predisposition to any disease might be discovered, and, at any rate, the signs of early phthisis might be detected and arrested. At the commencement of each yenr the height and weight of each child and its age should be taken. Ily this means of periodical examination the fiovernment would obtain a valuable report upon the health and physical condition of (he young in Ihe country. He would like, for the benefit of the public, to assess the infectivl(y of pulmonary phthisis, because il was possible, in the earnestness which mighl be displayed to arrest the disease, lo become unduly harsh in our treatment of those who were unfortunate enough to suffer from fhe complaint. After quoting authorities and modern cases, Or. Collins said he considered (hat when a person knew he had phthisis, he ought to find out all the precautions it was necessary for him lo take to prevent his communicating the disease to his neighbour. The source of infection being limited, it. was certain that if all proper precautions were taken, the risk of infection was not so very great. With regard to tho cure of this diseaso, Dr. Marmorec, late of the Pasteur Institdte, stated

Hint he had been able to Isolate the true toxin from cultures of the tubercle bacillus. He had tried the toxin on patients, but the cases were at present too few to nllow of a definite opinion to be formed as to the. therapeutic value of the serum. The alarming increase of the class of disease called cancer in this colony was a subject which must receive the attention of the medical profession. He quoted from the New Zealand Year Hook indicating the principal organs which were ulVected in males and females in the cases of death from carreer. In males, in 1902, the stomach was affected in much greater proportion than any other organ. Next to the stomach came the mouth, lip, and tongue, etc. ; then the inteslinal canal, and then the 1 i ver7~The" ol Ik'!-" organs "of I he body were affected, but lo a very much less extent. In remales, the stomach was often nllecieil. but, 10 a less extent than in males. In equal proportion lo the stomach came theor-

gans of reproduction, then the mammary gland, (hen the intestinal canal and liver, then the mouth, tongue, throat, etc., the other organs very slightly affected. It would also appear that the time of life at which death from cancer began to be numerous were Sls for males and ISO for females. The maximum of deaths was readied at the period of (JU lo (i"> for males, and s!i to GO for females. If he were asked by a healthy mini how he should direct his life in order that he might live to an old age, he would advise liini to ascertain, if possible, to what disease he was most liable by heredity, and, by care and study, delay as long as possible, or altogether prevent its advent. He would also advise him to be moderate in all things, in his eating, and drinking and smoking, in his exercises and amusements, in his studies and occupation. There was no doubt that abuses and excesses caused deterioration and loss of vitality and susceptibility to disease, and that injury and constant irritation of a part in a debilitated person can convert a normal cell into a malignant one, a healthy tissue into a diseased one, and a normal structure into a cancerous one. To arrive at the true nature and origin of cancer, and eventually its cause, its prevention, it was necessary to have constant and numerous examinations made after death by skilled pathologists. The present tivnlniciit of the disease was very unsatisfactory. II almost invariubly consisted of excision where excision is permissible. The treatment by the X rays and Ihe violet rays seemed to relieve f pain, and in many instances to cause retrogression of the disease, but, unfortunately, the disease wa.s apt to recur. The serum treatment was of too recent application lo give any decided results. The definite rc- . suits produced by radium and helium were at present unknown.