The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1903. CONSUMPTIVE SANATORIUM.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13714, 2 October 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1903. CONSUMPTIVE SANATORIUM.

We cmfe« to a. little- suiprise at., 'lie apparetitlv precipitate acii«»> of the South Canteibmy 110.-p'tal Hoard iu aoiurtin.; a near Fairlie l»r the tioatmtnt di coruumpiive patients, but the suipris? is probably due lo the fact thai we had tempom'tily losr sight of a (paction which members of tin* Hoard, ami '.wire especially Mi Crtiigis, have )i<> doubt kept ..tia-ldy before iliein since ihey. made the decision mil 10 par.itr.paie in the institution winch is now iienrinjj completion on the Cashmere Hills. Our own objection lo the joint scheme was of a double charade! thai the notlliern sanatorium was delinkely closed to inclinable cases which one would imagine to be most <lang»i-ou« to the- health of the. community, and thai ;iii exhaustive report compiled by a mt?di•al expert uiulcr instruct : oris fiom the I'.riiish Local fiovernmeni Itiiaid thiew a considerable junouiu of .suspicion upon the eflicacy of the whole system of sanatorium tiratmem. In view of '.his icport, to which wv shall icf.]- in some deu.il. and in vi'W nf the international cimjjrc.s on consumption whith "s now siring in Se.w V.iik. it appi-air" l.> u-«- thai it would be

«i-- ir> .Icier any extensive M-heiiv- in Smith Canterbury until the r,-tilt- ui' this cnsruvs had re-ich.-.l Xew Zealand. Of ci.iirs- Mich an idea of po-tponem nl may in., haw *u»<"rsted itself to the Hoard: in fact i, uiunot vety well have done ■.i. ,-in.e they have imurivd an expcn.btur.- i.f <iv-r iIICOO "ui a site l»r the put pi,--.- of .sanatorium tte.it mint. Tli.y may have fell that as thy d-elne.l to a-Mu-iate tioms-lv.-s with the North Can lerbury .scheme for the u eatm.n'. of o.n simipiivf sufferer, it «'i>- incumbent upon iliem- to .-how thai their action was no: i, t ...t-.i to deprive patients in t)n> d.s- ---,,;,., ~, ih- b-nciit, which I!,.- Cashmere ...Mi-lttii... 1./Vl«t »"« »'"» «-*l'«-««'» '" ~„.:,., upon si« m il I Ik- I'—'d ha I ««>• , f, v ,.d t,, a-sisi iu it- ri|uipm<!it and ,Viai'..l:«.a...'.-. W<- »" >'"» "' "! m,, " n ' i,..« c v.-r. thai it «• d l,r premature, and ~.,1,.i|.s in the h't'iC Ill » """>•"■■■ ;! ' tm '" JJ.M.--.1 wet..- t-> lamicli mi: i» any amhir.mw lmil.iinti prolamine mi it, mw pro,.,r:v ..,, the Fa.rli.- Hi.-. Th, propctv ~.-1? will, we dare-ay. always be a -oo.i .-n..u.'ii asset, aii'i can be u-.ilbed il sella

•,.,,110. If ..tin.lit -lioul.l by any mi-b.t ;i ;t.e tail lo JUeUtv n-lf. Hill .l.r «.■-* w.,i!i.l b- .bit. i.-ut »i'l> an elaborate i.l„,i. ..f buil.iin-s M..1. a- hac- been ~.,-,■!,,! i.n th. Ca-lm.-n- ll.lb. Il "dl. „; ,„„...., ), ~„,.. in.ii.-ibl.. f..r thPa.aid ■<■ . i.n:einplat«- ..nyiliiny on (!:.• ~,;,!. that has been done ..t i he noiiti at an . \p nde. i-.te- w hi. h be II r'utl.dly c.in.i-..i:»,-.l »y th- Mi..i>f- h-r I'-.'-b----11,-jl'li. !.;■.' wr ere inelm.-d to tT.tlil. thai any buil.lltl ; < »chrtue ■>! a j'.»'rin:ilirnt ih..:... !<■:•- rv.ti <.u a in", h !■"• ■ eijwr.-.iv.- ... ~| w.mhi b a mi.". A..- u mi lijjht ..! ~. . M mrd.-al -.-i.-m c In thr u-po:t ;,. «i,:.-!i «e have ~;• lir.l. !Jr l!«l.ti««l-. til. l.ivpr.-:..r . l pp..-|ll.-i I'V file 1....:.! i;..». MOO ir r.-iasd. .inpl.e't'-rd -'tie en l.trly <•«]. i.ii.-i.te.l nattir- -t ■ '.nsinnpt .co -:>n..':.•:!... Af'-r 5,..-,,d.nj: MX y.-i:s ,u !,..- iiivtj-:"uati<.n-. I'f I'ubttnd" t»-.ii-he'.l til.. ...,!.. In-!'.n i ha! the eitai.ii-hmen: r.f i.ii...!oii.i for '>i»* nc'p:»n of <ierlar« ! il ~u.k ..[' c..nsi;]iipti>.ii, in wbi.!! pat'us.ts tnay lie t:.uai' : ""«' ifi A ' r ' ; "" ! ' !r ' w ! " »t..d the d's-tr.tU3iion "f iiifcrtive mate-

rial, was a proceeding which, however admirable as a benevolent provision tor Fufferng individuals, was hardly likely to fulfil the expectations which it had at fir*t- occasioned in many quartern. «lthough these expectations, as he jvv-i-e.l onr. had not been encouraged by instructed pathologists. It was not ir.i;:v! that the existence of these sanatoria, tl.e history of which iva-> followed in detad by Dr Bulstrode for seven years, had produced any perceptible effect upon Ttie rate of decline of consumption morlaVty, either in England and Wales generally, or in the counties • pwscssing such institutions as compared with those which are destitute of them, and their own records, when carefully examined, r-eome.t io indicate that, in the case of, a very large propori : on of (he patients received, tlicy had done little more than postpone Hie fatal issue. This is a distinctly disappointing conclusion, which may possibly bs wrong.' On Hint point we should expect i-ome guidance from the congress ' now sitting in New York, the proceedings of wlreh aie unfortunately receiving practically no notice in the cable messages' to "New Zealand. But until the virtue of sanatorium treatment is relieved from the suspicion thrown upon it by Dr Bnlsfrotie, we should regard it as "mistaken zeal for ihe Souih Canterbury Board to add another to the list- of experimenter,', in ibis field of medical research. To onr nrnd. anything that is done at Fairlie should b-? done with the leas! prcsihle expanse uuiil ther? i; a reasonable prospect that a considerable expenditure would he productive of coinmi'nsurate results.