CONSUMPTIVE IMMIGRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1536, 4 September 1912, Page 10

CONSUMPTIVE IMMIGRANTS.

HOW TO KKKP THEM OUT? (By Tclesiaphj-Bocclal Correspondent.) Christchurch, September 3. Attention hits lately liern drawn to tho fact that, in spite of tho regulations refusing consumptive immigrants access lo A'ew. Zcalimd, a corUin number of men anil women succml in ovndiiijj these regulations, anil hlip into tho country. Dr. lilat-kinore, of Iho Christchurch Consunrptivo Saiinloriitm, speaking lo a repretcntalivo of tlio "Press" to-dn.v, o.\pressed his unhesitating opinion that a strict examination of tho.fo immigrants from Kngland was necessary. It was not sufficient merely to examine them at this end before landing; that method was quite ineffective. The medical examination to which immigrants were tit present subjected wns not nearly thorough enough. Only a short time ago a girl from Homo had come to tho sanatorium suffering from consumption. Sho had been examined, and yet had been allowed to get through. In his opinion, it would prove a distinct advantage to iho Dominion if a medical man at Home were paid to make a thorough examination of all intending immigrants as suggested. It would be a more difficult! matter to stop consumptives who are not actually immigrants i'rom entering Now Zealand. Tho main thing was that such people should be sufficiently well to onablo them to obtain proper medical attention and to keep (hem from going to the State for treatment. The opinions of other medical men coincided in the main with those expressed by Dr. Blackmore. One doctor pointed oiit that one of tho special difficulties of tho case was that consumption often existed in n latent form, and was in such instances extremely difficult to detect. A man might be apparently in . perfect health when he embarked, and might rapidly develop the disease during the voyage. Then there were numerous kinds of chest troubles which stimulated consumption, and were very difficult to differentiate from it. The doctors who had to examine immigrants wero in a particularly awkward position. They often had to examine strings of people—one person after another, and sometimes ns many as SI) to 1M or more a day. These examinations were, under present conditions, almost bound to be more or less of a farce. One of the essentials* for a careful examination was absolute silence, and that essential was rarely obtainable. TTie customary "passing" of passengers by the ship's doctor, for instance, was quite an inadequate provision. There was n renl ■need for a rigid examination of immigrants before boarding tho ship, and again before londine.