MEDICAL CONGRESS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1238, 21 September 1911, Page 5

MEDICAL CONGRESS.

DOCTORS AND DEFENCE. By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright Sydney, September 20. At the Medical Congress, Dr. Purdy, principal medical officer of the defence forccs of New Zealand, dealt with the relationship between tho medical profession and the Army. The advent ot tho compulsory training systems had increased tho responsibilities of the doctois; only tho most physically fit could bo chosen for the Army. (Rec. September 20, 8.45 p.m.) Sydney, September 20. Dr. Purdy, in his paper, declared that fully forty per cent of the youth of Australasia were unfitted for efficient military service, but in tho couTse of a very few years, owing to tho great improvement' in tho national physique effected by compulsory training, the percentage of unfit would bo greatly reduced.

ALCOHOL AND DISEASE. (Rec. September 20, 10.20 p.m.) Sydney, September 20. Dr. Hayward, in a paper dealing with alcohol, said that whereas formerly 6very case of acute disease was treated more or less with alcohol, it was now genernlly recognised that' it was not.necessary, except under certain definite conditions, to order alcohol. To give neurotic patients alcohol was almost as wrong as to supply them with morphia and hypodermic syringes.

SERUM AND VACCINE TREATMENT.

(Rec. September 21, 0.25 a.m.) Sydney, September 20. Professor Allen read a paper at the Congress on serum and vaccine therapy. Ho stated that, us the result of vaccination in Germany, smallpox had been practically stamped out, while American statistics showed that tho incidence of typhoid fever was fifteen times less among inoculated persons than among those who were not inoculated.