HEREDITY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1578, 23 October 1912, Page 7

HEREDITY.

■MORE STATISTICS WANTED.

■At the meeting of the Wellington Hospital and' Charitable^Aid Board yesterday, Mr, B. R.' Gardener moved: "That tue board request its delegate (Dr. Hard- . wicko Smith) to the Meuical Conference to placo before tho conference the advisability of obtaining the family history of all persons admitted to every sanatorium." '.-,'- In speaking to the motion/Mr. Gardenthat tho present system of obtaining information was carried out in a very lnx manner. He thought that the motif of his motion was one of tho most important things. that should be brought before the conference. As things were at: present tho 'information obtained .was bo.meagre that, in most cases, it was difficult to determine whether the disease was hereditary or not. Ho was in favour, of a system under which, even after patients had left the institutions the authorises could periodically learn their whereabouts and condition of health. • Mr. F. T. Moore seconded tho motion. •Mr. J. W. M'Ewan thought that inquiries should also be made as to whe<her .the various institutions had justified i their existence. \ The chairman (Mr. Jas. Trevor) and Mr. Jas. Godber both maintained that there could bo no doubt as to the success of the Otaki Sanatorium; Both speakers, however, favoured some system under "which statistics could be obtained. The Rev. Van Stavcren, Mr. L. M'Kenzie, and Mr. John Smith also spoke in favour of the motion, which was enrried.;'