SCARLET FEVER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11784, 23 August 1916, Page 5

SCARLET FEVER.

LOCKING THE STABLE DOC PROSECUTIONS FOR NONPMCAUTICN3. 1 The attention of Mr T. A. 13. Baih > S.M., wns occupied for some time tl ■ morning in hearing charges arising c j of thc recent scarlet lever epideni ■ Hie first ciiso being tliroc char;. ' against Albert. Schimanski, that |,)tine 6 he had failed to notify inleetie j disease, had exposed inieeted clotlii had allowed children suffering In j an infections disease to go to. i-eho ' Mr .Neave, who appeared ior the Hi pit.nl Board, hi ;ted that the: cases h been brought in the public intere. a view to making the cecessi for carrying out tho precautio more public. The cases were laid unci Section 2o of the Hca.th At In no case had any of alio persons pi secuted tailed to hold back inionnati when approached, and publicity rath than penalty was sought. Tho defendant said that on Juno he took the children to his doctor, a) did all that was asked of him. lip t then lio did not know that he \v obliged to tell tho public health office He thought his doctor would do so. In reply to tho -Magistrate, Mr Nea said that the doctor had not given n tiee. Tho onus was on the occup.er well as the doctor. The second and third charges wo withdrawn by 3\lr Neave. In explaining tho charge of exposii his clothes, Mr Neave said that Scl m&nski after being in the sick room In come out and mixed with other peopl A. W. Nicol, inspector to the boar said that on June 14 he had learnt that there was scarlet fever in tl house. He found tho children playii. in the yard near some men. He to' ! Mrs Schimanski that the children mu be kept away from others, and th; Sehimanski must not handle any veg tables for market. He did not kno then that Sehimanski was living aw;; from the house. W. J. Chappie, another inspeoto said that ho had seen Sch/manski ii side tho house, having afternoon ten. Sehimanski said that on June. 8 1 took the children to the doctor, wli said that one of them probably ha a touch of scarlet fever, and he mu? isolate tliern and avoid living in th house afterwards, lie had never bee in the house afterwards, but he di not disinfect his clothes. Decision was reserved. George Thomas Booth, of Cashmer Hills, was then charged with exposin infected clothes without first disinfeei ing them. Ho pleaded not guilty an was represented by Mr Wright. Mr Neave said that no restrictior had been placed on the defendant, an it had been left to him to do wha his sense of duty prompted him t do. A W. N icol gave evidence that I) Symes had reported tho case in th usual way. M. E. JJettel, inspector to the boarc said that he visited the house on Jun 2, and saw one of the maids, to w«oi he gave instructions. He was practic ally laughed at, but he saw the pr tient, and explained the proca'ation necessary. Subsequently he was ir structed to go down, in iespouse t complaints that the isolation was nc maintained. Ho saw M.vs Booth, an told her that it had been staiod tha Booth and his son nad been in th sick room, and had afterwards gone ou into the city. She adnnted it, bu afterwards Mr Booth denied it. To Mr Wright : 'ihere were no print ed instructions. Ho had been in th patient's room, and in other patients rooms, and had not disinfected hi clothes. .Mr Wright submitted that if M Booth bad committed an offence ever; medical man in Christchureh had corn m it-ted an offence. The charge shouli not have been laid, «tnd it only showei thi straits that the bopaitment wa in. The witness, further coss-examined admitted that he hnd not sought th' sc'urce of infection. There was a sep ti; tank, one hundred yards away which he had heard was a nuisance and he had Inspected it. He did no' know of anothoi septic tank lrom th< Convalescent Home. " It 15 a veritable nuisance," said Mi Wright. The witnes-5 added that he had .tic knowledge- that Mr Booth had been ir the patient's room. Mr Wright said that Mr Booth die not wish to bring himself in conflict with the Health department, but the ease was obviously ono which could not sucseed. Tho section concerned any person who '•lends, sells, transmits or exnoses any things which have been exposed to infection or infectious disease. I'he English Act went- more minutely nto the tilings that were not to be exposed, and obviously it meant such jbiugs as bedding and clothes actually n contact with .the. patient. Hie Act lid not apply clothes worn by a person visitinsj tne sick room. Dr Alfred Foster gave evidence that le bad had experience iu London and Sydney, and hnd never known scarlet ! ever to bo carried by a third person. 3ven supposing he had to handle_ a >atient he would consider that washing lis hands was a sufficient precaution, infection was spread almost entirely >y personal contact, find would not ;arry far from the patient, except by lirect touch. He had had to attend ixty or eighty patients iu a day periap's, a quarter of them suffering from cnrlet fever, and he bad "never knov.-n nfection to follow him. He considered hat the Act was meant rather to pre•out exposing foi sale without disinfectns. H' 1 had never known of a doctor i'ho disinfected his. clothes. To Mr Neave: Mr Booth was liable 0 catch it himself, r.r.d if he had caught t he might have spread it.. _ Short of outraotinr; rhe disease, a third pei'son ras not likely to carry it. Pr Syincs said that be attended "Mr inoth's' daughter. and in oytdnining he necessary precautions so'd tb:u here was pracrieady no risk in going lto the roen for a little whih % witliut coming into con tret with ihe paiont. I)i- Semes ni'odu r, od a hu. r '* medical imc. which tie dor-hired was the world'ist word on infeei'on. !' wa> rd-ird v Bouchard, and puljl'-iicrl 1 France. He e'-ct.-d f o re.-id from no '<s-! in French, in Fn/rli.-di, <r in oth. The Oetiv' elect'--l i" h<Ntr' the tr?r.<~ !'-!!. u h.""' ■'!:>'!!' ••• on'tr 1 the irrh rmihn-ur »)>;.••• 'hat the inferon p-rc'-d-d Mr from fh° fere n-oit. "vl i 1 1" v ; r ..T h"d feeble 'Miso *hih';-v. C -irc t was re- reorder] ; the ~f ''.-oragatJop rath-.n -nu bv neri.i] ; rrV-'tion. . Dr f<vrae« added that 1-e pot heeve that aire man eou.'d sc.-:r-tina tmlrss he bad it fc!>«elf. As a in*T<spee of the de^vA f; n? r:;-k he 1 id informed the rfw* of a at th- T> Vnte c ' TnsTirnti. nmnor had been told to l--rer> it v- v e. rather than sei-d it to Bottle alve. Di J. F. ir: rh;-fr> <-,f ]\'n'!a ,ke iC -t):;:;ii. "s r 11-d )»y Mr i cave, and said thai .v that he coiil'l pot ae-:oe with the her two medical veihiows. Tho seusi- "''.'as <-an"ied lartrelv by conict. but fur ihe rest nobody could I

1 ! say how it was carried. lie could not : ' understand how anybody could deny the 'possibility of infection by a third person. Dr Ggier, professor of medicine at O'xiord University., had said that he c-ouid accuse himself of carrying it in one case. But doctors usually took more precautions than others. To Mr Wright: He knew of no case carried by a. third parson. He always wore an overall when seeing patients. " What difference do you see. between Mr .Booth going into ths sick room and the doctor or the inspector going into the room?" asked Mr Wright. ]>r Duncan replied that the, inspector was disinfected in motor-cycling to the next case. Mr Neave said that the matter was jgo important that he was bound to ask for an adjournment to call medical evidence in support of Dr Duncan. It, would never do to go out to the world that no precautions were necessary, and that anybody could visit the patient G. X. Booth, the defendant, gave evidence that when lie learned that his daughter v.-as suffering from scarlet ! fever ho followed all tho instructions of Dr Symes, and cut out all engage- 1 monts outside his own business. iio had ceased to visit anybody in poor health, cither at . tne hospital or sana- j torium. He did not sev the children ! more than possible. He knew of no instructions left by the inspector. I would rather have iet this ease ,go and not defended it." -Mr 3300 th ad led, '' but I feel that the Health Depenmcnt is going about the thing in a thoroughly wrong way. "Within a short, distance cn either side of my j house there are two plague spots, which I are a disgrace- to the Department, ami I not. a. word is said about improving j j tlviu. I think that infectious diseases i i arise from these places, and the De- | i parimeiH is swallowing a camel and 1 | straining at a gnat. They -arc causing ; j a groat, deal of inconvenience and ; trouble over very small matters, when • i there are grca: going unehcek- , icd There is some;'ring wrong with the | ■ I), nnrinviit somewhere/! i The Magistrate dismissed the case, j r< marking tha; there u*ns no evidence j t..f knowingly exposing any infected clothes. A lino of Is and costs was imposed on fvhinr.riw'a. Maude K'ia '' r av Clark was fined Is s»v-I 1 ! I • "it'et fever | }>»'!t.e'i we - <" barged wlMi ox- , p'• ;:: .; in > v : ' e-i ! h jlr Xt ,v."o -'-a 1 the; the ease wa>; v-or 'ban tho ;mtv!o;is e;:ses. h:n~mne'' as d "Chile c-ders had bran given M:> H -aben not to go ettt. e'M :ae had dslibaravly gen.- on- vij-niin? being in direct contact with the r.;. "ie-nv. !ho defendant we..?. cMiricuvl and dis>- j : ch.t: god. ; j