WAR AGAINST CONSUMPTION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12865, 25 May 1905, Page 3

WAR AGAINST CONSUMPTION.

ANNEXE AT NEW PLYMOUTH

FORMAL OPENING.

REMARKS BY SIR JOSEPH WARD.

The consumptive annoxe erecte'id in connection with the Hospital at New Plyimoxit.lv— tihe first in the eolo<np—was formally opened by Sir J. G. /W-aii'd, M mister of Public Health.." on Wednesday a.ftern!oon in the presence of a large gathering of townspeople. The weather conditions were threatening, and sligiht showers experienced occasionally interfered somewhat wittti the ceremony. Invitations to be present were extended to and accepted by the Mayors of neighbouring bqdies and chairmmi of local authorities, anijd in addition to local re»prescn'tati've men t/here were also in attortdance Drs. Mason and Valintine. Chief and Assistant Chief Health Officers ros'pectilvely for the colony. The Premier telegraph«d an apology for not being able to attend. Several streamers of Hags w(«v s>t,retched across the buildings, and the Oonvmittee had er^'tod a large nvar(|iien on the te.ivnis court in whidh aft.e.rno<vn tea was dispensed.

.Mr r l»isch (('hair.nran of the Hospital Board), Sir .Jost'jii-i. Drs. JMasrm and Valintine, local njprese.ntatilves, and memibers of the nu*dical and nursing staffs of the Hospital tooklflpa position on tiln; verandah of one of Ihe new buildings at idle appointed time, 2 o'dook. Mr Tisch extended a cordial welcome to Sir Joseph and Drs. Masou and Valintine. anfcl thanked them for bi'in'g present to assist in the opening of a buiUUn^f whiloh was the inaugjuration of the open-air treatment of consumptive patients. The speaker went on to refer to the dt-aths that occur through tfiilbemulo-■-i<, how this disease hald; b|ee:n regarded in the past as necessarily fatal, Uut. how the modern methods had pr<yved successful in combatting its direful results. Due to action of Sir Jostft)h W'iiixl in introducing looislation calling on Hospital Koai'ds to erect (■(mKumptive annexes a mjuch nijore healtdiier state of things was to be expected as tln^ unfortunate consumptive patients could now be properly treated. He a^siircd those present that nlthouqjh the annexe wa^ detached from the main institution the cost of administration would not be increased. Dr. Valintine had init'iatf'd the movement and all ci\<dit was due to him— 1| hear! hear ! )(—an r d New Plymouth had to be eougii-akdatdd on erecting in the town the first an'neixe in the colony. The efforts of ihe ladies in the systematic ca)iVass they tnaicle for funds cahie in for higJi [iralse, Mr Tisch taking the cty^portunity to publicly tharik thi'm. Tie c a'id he was sure the 'bffst a^ailaJlDle had been selected ; it was higji and dry (at l< i ast dry .sometimes) and quite elevated from the i-oad. Ow l ing to the delay in coirtpletiirg the buildings they had mot been fmisned, bait he pi'omisrtl that on a later dato he wouljd ad'ord the public an opportunity of inspecting the prrtperlyer^ lipped annexe and would jutobably arrange for a Sun/day sacred concert on the occasion. No more fit t ing" ceremony he thought could be performed on Empire Day than the opeavfai'g of a building whidh was for the amelioration of sfufFeritig humanity, or tlxosa unfortunates who had corrtractrkl con•^unijption. After congraiuJating the .-settlers of the district an marking- provision for so flfli'ciently treating 1 Kho tbfllict«d people, and coniiplimion'ting the medical an-d nursing staf't's, [Sir Tisch prr*sriit(«l Sir Josnph with a silver key, suitably inscriljeid. with w"li,i'ch to open the door of tine annexe. As it began to rain at this> siage Sir Joseph suggested that he should fir^t unlock the door and tlhen the visitors retire (.0 the marquee where ■^peoches crwild be finished. This was duly carried out. ( 'ontiiVuino" his speech in tiho marqTiee, Sir Joseph mmaitked that to take a hand in this giieat war we were waging against con sumption was a privilege indeud, but to faave befn the- first to aVl'opt t.he slugigestion that each district sihojitkl loojfc aftei" its own s-jek. grant to the sufferer poor in purse as well as in health an opportunity of trying what was now recognised by all experts as the best treatment of t'hio fell disease, was nurely something to be proud (yf. In these days of inicossaut demands on the central ex,cJheiq|iieir, it was indeed a pleasure to fiu'd a comm.unity taking the lead in what could luuly be termed hel])ing itself. The example set in bhis city 'has beeai followed in others, notably Nelson and Wellington. The fact that tihe aumoxo has risen by reason of the people's goadnoss of heart creatiyl a l(«.-al pa-triotis-rn ar»d 'interest in it w'liiph was soniftimes lacking towards an institution wholly .s'U!pj)orted by tihe .State, k was a matter for Mie utitruost congrat'ulatidn that the sum of no less than £200 had beun sii'naonibqd in shillings showing that what might be termed the poorer class had taken an active part in connection with this institution. The .<*hx>lters food been lofuilt on the most oipprQveld plan, and will, he felt certain., fairing health and hope to many an aohing heart. (Applause.) The camfpaig'n in which we were taking a part was ono which was being, waged ojver all the rivil'Jsed world for it, was fast coming to b<- realised that not only was consumption one of the greatest devastators of the race, but at the same time a very preventable dis-

east'. The deaths from tuberculosis in KiTSfkuurt al1( l WalfS wore still over (10,000 a year. In Europe the anrnXial loss amounted to a million lives, or four kun'dred million sterling, calculating the value of a life an the lowest economical basis, irrespective of the hardship and suffering entailed, while in the United Statos a'n\d Canada tuberculosis was equally ipjrejvalent, and cost the former on the s'atne basis sixty six millions of money a year. 'Commonly the disease seilzeid the majority of its victims in the flower of youth and the prime of life, when world nq; capacity ami all other powers shonikl be at their highest. It could be seen therefore. Sir Joseplh saixl. that we were tajkins; 'part in xi godly wnc — a war which Jcnew no creud, save that of lo;v< v to 'Oincj's neighbour and oneself, and that all classes irrespective of any feeling" ihaVe joined togethei- to promote the welfare of humanity. 'While saving other life it should not be forgjotten tihat we were sa,vino- ourselves. The gjuineas givciii towards tihis objec:t comM rig-ht-ly be looked upon as an insurance again s-t the disease itsel.f. Reyjjuesis had Ijei-n made to set [11^) another institution like that at Camlblri(dge, but he luwl steadfastly sot Ivis face iiQh'lnst ilvat. at lea^t for ihv\ \\i'oS(iit. Ro long t\^ the I)e;partm<int fwHintl the people playing llhe same generous part that New Plymb.uth had done, there wns no iveeid o-n the score of s'lilVerfno- Ivmnanity, 'because he iva-i certain that -patieint^ would receive in these annexes, at the hands of the skilful medical men of New PlyiiKxutih, treatment which would lea/ye Kttle room for ccyntlplai'ivt. '(A*ppliUu^ 1 .) There, was a'notiher reatSom, and that was of finance. The. -present (!oivei'nment of New Zealand 'haU. n^ r- <«■ (VonsidtM-ctl money wlion it 'hatd lbjeetn. for safcguardi'ng the IvealtJv of the comimuuity or t>he welfare of the people, bhit he was v<uivinc<»d. Ifromi a careful study of the. question,, that in this system of annexes attaWlidd to a1- ! ready pstablishotd hosip'itals was to be ffvund not only the most economical, but the best method of /dealing" with this momentous qXie-^tion. By carrymg aut this system, we wc*ulld| l^ei a'bla to ooj)e with the enemy at oince in the best and most accepit'aflj'l'e manner, i (Apiilause.) Tie thought that eyery : hospital area slioukl look after its own sick in this j>art'?^ular instance aird he had resisted, on sevei-al occasions, the expressed <lesire of some districts to comibine unless all parties were in absolute agre-emeiit. Jfew Plymouth could rest assured tliat its g-«'Bi« ro'us efforts in setting nyx these open-air shelters \vou!<d not result in the town being iniiindattxl taj* sicic from other districts. '(Applause.) He wo'ußl resist, as far as the law (permitted, the importation of -the) olirtside sick, and would ask all othef districts that requisitioned him to bireajk this salutary rule, to look to the self sacrifice of Taratra,ki, and aisik t'hwn to go and do likewise. (Ajj^iplause.) Towawls this noble, aim the res'iklcnts of Taranaki had done lniJic'h, anjd tjhe Government had also "done soim'otthin'g. TJiey had set up at .considerable (ixpe.nse To Waikato Sa'tVaton'tun, neyr Camln'idoe. ami in adjdit'iion -to t/liat, it had to be liorne in m'inH till at for row po,und tire p'ubl'c plaic<>d on tihe altar of common humanity the Government had Q-iven twcnty-'foUir ahilli'ngs. Sir Joseph went oU to ac?cnowlwlge the good wortk ax:cojnplis*hed by both Drs. .M'asoiii aiivd Vali'ntilie aiwl eongrat'ulated 'the /(]Mr Coak), Mr T'isoh, aivd ''Mr George (secretary of the Ladies' CoSirimHtee), and the Jttdie« on their sneces«ful anld ]Ttraise\V'ort'hy (iflorts. Jle said niot'hing would be left undone on the part of tlhe State to assist in the development- of this great nsolv-emeait. He s.'ugL>\'sted that it might Ihje wortlhy t,hqi consideration of friendly societies whether they should not conubinei nnkl ta/ke united action to wtmu the inroads of a disease that was adedu'nti'ng for so large a picVportion of the members who pass awiay ',b)y establishing a consumt|)tive home for members of frienldly societies 1 alo'iTo iu^lepentdent of the Government. (When he last spoke on this s&ibijcct "m tlhe north, he advoeatwl the formatioti of am ant'l-eo'nsu'n»ption league th*r*olnoiho'ut the colony, and His l^xeollemjey tjie Cioveriror then exprossexl lrim.'self as wilJifng to accept the (presidency of such a leagme. "Mmipjli hu)d alrealdy benn done to create a healtihy 'p/Üblie opinion in this direction, aiud T"arani'a/ki had shown its earii"st ness hi a m\osL practical way. If tnjkeai ii|p, as it would be, all over the cololny, it Ui'ust ali'ojxl to the sufferers from this disease not <mly a feeling of hojpe. blut an actual means of l-elief, afnd eK'cn of perfect rcccwcry, anld Purely there was no better work in which jpeo|ple of all classes wil'lioiit d'is-timrtiloiu of any sort could engage t-ha-n o«nei which ; would make our bright Islands bi'ig Jhtf>r ai rd htippier still. ( Lrtu'd apIplause.)

Mv X M. Smith. Jr.TT.U., followed with some observations cm Uw afclmiinstraticm of the ipivsriivt Government, and reminded Jiis hoard's how he managed to pet, the title doejds for the hoHjrilal site. '"Mr R. Codk (Mayor) refnnu<d to h'ospiUil management, and thn acilual stops token by Dr. Valinthie in connection with the movement to build the annexe ami t'ho unstrwtad ao-ogoe-rnticm of the ladies. He also warmly appreciated Sir Josdph .Waivl's tfugfiestion respecting- fi'iemdly societies, as it pre^ajred a ■i'nrnrnijj of the cHirrr«nt of the fiotvrrnm cut's (feeling 1 towards frii»nl(lly soeielie«. wh'idh 'Ivold in tli<> past reeeivdd but sea'nt, troatimctnt. On t Ife Mayoit's iniliuiion I'lnree ejlieers were given for Dr. Vulhililna

Dr. Mason dwelt on the dangers arisino- thrmngh negkict to taikt* \pa-e-eautionary measures in regarkl to t',ub«rculosis, and rernauked that althb'ug'h provision for amneixes was important, it was equally as important to adopt preventive measures, jparticiularly in respect to -colitagion expectoration and otver-crowding. He gave an aseuran'ce that ' there was mo ris?lc from the annexe pravifdiaig the medical staff took all precatutions in the destruction of the (patients' afpit. He warmly aulog-ised Dr. Valintine' s woi'fc, and eo'ng/ratulatqd New Plyp mon Ih on its eiiiteuprising and meritoriqus attitude towards an important ln'anc'h of medical science in relief of ft'ulTering 'humanity.

Dr. Valintine aclaio\vle<l'ge/d Hie kindly recognition paid to 'him for hi^ efforts, anld thanked the ipu'blic anld members of the maclical^r^fes^saon for tiieir hearty co-ojperatiqn/ 'Syst'eSnjati'c.. and organised wotfk was essential, 7[sc\ maintained, to arrest the spread aiii'd"* romlbat the evils of tiubwciulosis. Hon. T. Kelly, Messrs ,W. T. Jcui11 ings (B'omont) and F. Lawry (Parnell). and Br. Lca'l'haan' also sjioke, the latter stating that although fairly rfuccpsfsiul ofj)ic!n air treatment <jf patients had h'ayn oai'i*i(H 011 on thf- verandah of the Hospital tlhcy \vo v ul ! d now have the facilities for more eflLciently d calimg A\ith the disease. Mr J. C. Gooi^gp (secretaiy of t':hc Ladies' ConunitUv), m referring to the 4 in/>li^jionsa'ble assist awe of tha ladies in the movement, statcjd t.ho total proceeds by collections, etc., amionmtad to £7*25 2s Od, tihe oxJpeinses (>n(ailod oinly beimg £12 5s lOd. Sir .Joseph 'Ward aUittldd to the uortk of (he Chairman ('Air Tis'tih), ainld callrtl for three cheers. wh'icli were heartily giivcn. j\fr Tisch acjcn'owlfidged the eom/pliment. JAiring tihe aPt'Pirniojon 'a stflonjgj laflies' committee superinteindad the afternoon tea arraingonren'ts, and 'had a busy time attending to the rrtrjuiremrvnt^ of all present.