"EMPTY HOSPITALS."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 26 July 1907, Page 4

"EMPTY HOSPITALS."

SIR F. TREEVS' REMARKABLE PROPHESY. "I am certain it is safe to prophesy that the time will come when hospitals fat infectious diseases will be empty and not wanted," said Sir Frederick Treves, the famous surgeon, at Preston. "[ also look forward to the time when it will 1* as anomalous for perons to die of scarlet fever typhoid, cholera, anil diphtheria, as it will be for a man to die of a wolf's bite in England.

"Very little, however, can be done by the Legislature, but everything by the progress of medical science, and, in a much larger degree, by the intelligence i>' the people.

'We must recognise that the saying Out everyone must eat a peck of J'rt before he dies is erroneous, and see that dirt is undesirable. Preventive medicine is founded upon hard facts, prudence, and common sense. "The mystery of the ancient d-.atir. his use of long names, and his extraordinary prescriptions are passing away. Multitudes of shelves full of bottle.-. which surround doctors ire also posing away, and beinj; replaced oy &uip'e living, suitable diet, plenty of sun, and plenty of fresh air. "The fight of. l he present day t against millions of microbes, and the weapons are sanitary regulations, muni cipal government, the sanitary inspect oi, and the medical officer of health." He looked forward to the time when people would le.tve off lit* extraordinary habit of taking medicine when they were sick. Consumption was preventable, but many of them remembered the time when it was regarded as a blight or something which came out of the heavens and'the unfortunate patient was said to have fallen into a decline.