Reckles Maorjs and the Influenza.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 3, 28 September 1907, Page 2

Reckles Maorjs and the Influenza.

FRUSTRATING DOCTOR'S • ■•' •• :..' EFFORTS.;;,;; ~v ; In fighting'a ;.bad: inlluonza - epidemic- among 'the Taranaki .Maoris, Dr.' Pbmare,,; Health '. Officer , to,'. this people, - has not,-)iad. much assistance .from .the. natives. : The. Maori .is,la ■ light-hearted - child of .'nature, who does not trouble "till it troubles hini with great soverity." ' Influenza,, followed by pneumonia, has been troubling him to death in many cases all along the west coast : of this island, arid still the Health.Officer finds it hard to convince other Maoris that influenza' is 'an enemy to ;. be respected. '. :."• Cure by the Immersion. When a native,: gripped- by tho complaint arid hot with fever, rushes into the sea or nearest river for relief, tho end 'is as sriro as that of drowning. . Yet this ! has happenod jn a great many cases, pne youthful, stlw'art' fellow- in Taranaki, who was prostrated'.by the' disease, was told by Dr. Poniaro that if he went 'outside the whare ho-would meet his death. Ho promised not to go outsido, but the next day, a frosty morn.ing, found him out -in tho. ? cold air. He died tho following day. "I am quite certain that if he had looked after himself he would have pulled through all right." Dr Pomare decleared yesterday. "He had youth, strength, ■' everything in his favour.' Superstition and carelessness.. Superstition also is an obstacle to medical treatment in some instances, but utter carelessness is the chief trouble. "It is almost heart-rend-ing at time," stated the Health Officer, "when you think that with a littlo caro these deaths would not oocurr." At tho same time the Maoris aro more : amenable to advico than was tho case some years ago. and the mortality from influenza, though ''considerable,, is not equal -to , that which has, beeii caused by other diseases'.in .'the-past. Also, by cleaning up their houses, tho Maoris have made themselves immune to a largo extent from these other diseases.

Dr. Pomaro states that the latest epidemic is now subsiding, and is not noarly so bad as it \vas recently. Ho will resume / his visitations in the strickeii area on Monday next.