SUMMER SICKNESS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20541, 16 February 1935, Page 11

SUMMER SICKNESS.

Many Cases Are Reported in Christchurch. MEDICAL OFFICER’S ADVICE. People continue to be stricken with gastro-enteritis, or summer sickness, and while no very serious results are expected from the attacks, people afflicted suffer a good deal of inconvenience and pain. The Medical Officer of Health, Dr T. Fletcher Telford, said that nothing definite had yet been discovered about the outbreak. It was common in other parts of New Zealand, however, and could be expected in country districts where water supplies were failing. As a cure Dr Telford recommended a cleaning-out with castor oil and a period of starvation for 24 hours. If this were carried out a certain number of the germs would be cleared away and the others, provided no food w'as taken to provide a feeding ground, would die. The castor oil should be taken according to age in the proportions of a teaspoonful for infants, dessertspoonful for those over three years old and a tablespoonful for adults. Whatever advice was given by medical men and nurses at Plunket rooms should be adhered to. Dr A. B. Pearson, pathologist, has one case under investigation at present, but the results will' not be known for a few days. Even when they are known, Dr Pearson pointed out that it would not necessarily follow that discoveries made in that case w r ould apply in others. In the view of a Christchurch skin specialist, sunbathing has something to do with the trouble. The effect of too much exposure to the sun, whether a persons tanned or not, was to lower the resistance to bacterial infection. He had no doubt that too much sunbathing, which had lowered the resistance to some germ, had something to do with the trouble. Medical practitioners are also at a loss to explain away the ailment, but one thing they do know is that there are very many cases about. They point out that if simple remedies are adopted early little inconvenience results, but if let go the trouble is liable to continue for some time.