THE MAORI MALADY

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1799, 11 July 1913, Page 6

THE MAORI MALADY

DIAGNOSIS MADE.

GENUINE SMALLPOX FEARED. (By Telegraph—Frees Association.) Auckland, July 10. , Another epidemic case. was discovered this morning at a Maori boaidinghouso in the central part of the city, tlio patient being a woman. Deports from various country districts show that an increasing number of Maoris are becoming affected. Tho District Health Officer stated . today that, apart from Hit caso discovered in a, Maori boardingliouse, there were no indications of an extension of tlio out-' break in Auckland. Tho seven Native patients at the isolation hospital wcro doing very well. Asked as to whether a' definite diagnosis had been made, Dr. Monk roplicd in tho negative.

.ti 0? 10 that vaccination had not taken oti'ect in the cases of certain, patients at the isolation hospital bo con« clusivo evidence of smallpox," tho reJ portev asked. i I cannot speak as to thoso cases," was charge 11 " ' aus " tlicy are not in my' the eases in isolation necessarily either chicken-pox or smallpox,' or aro tlioy possibly sonio intermediary disease P". was lurtlier asked. Vmiw."'n Officer, "we belie\G that the disease is something bo tween tho two.

possible the disease is Maoir«' pD ,?£ tle .pPortcr inquired. Hardly that, was the reply, "bocausa that is a nnld form of chicken-pox." Inquiry as to tho value of evidence providcd by the rasuilts of vaccination, upon patients who had not been vaccinated previousi to' ijlmsH, was also made -from; Dr. MacGuire, who visited tho isolation hospital at Point Chevalier yesterday/ He said that tho fact that the vaccinations had not reacted upon the Maoris waa'V not necessarily proof of smallpox, because " the lymph, might have been defective. l At tho s;uuo > tinio, lie would call it "con-, firmatory evidence." Dr. MacGuiro added/' that in ]iis opinion, all tho facta pointed to tho probability of tho disease being; similar -to 'that'which was prevailing in Sydney, and wTiicli) was looked upon by the anitjionties in Australia as being email"' P.ox in a mild form. The District Eenlth Officer stated this raorn'iig that people were coming forward in very largo numbers to bo. Already about 2000 tubes of lymph had ■boon issued to medical practitioners in and around Auckland. Somo 350 tubes', were distributed yesterday, 500 more wero' being sent out-to-day in. response to ap-\ plications, and 100 ft more would aTrivo in. Auckland from Wellington to-morrow, morning.

"THE MAJOR DISEASE." (Br Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) , Auckland, July 10. ■ There is every reason to believe that V the epidemic now prevailing at Maunga-,( tautari is smallpox, and not chickenpox as was thought, Dr. Stapley, has -beea appointed health officer for the district, owing to none of the regular officers of the" Department being at liberty', they having to attend to outbreaks in the north of Auckland. Yesterday afternoon Dr. Stapley (accompanied by Inspector Bennett,' ' of tnio Health Department) went to the Mauoigatautari settlement and''vaccinated the Natives and many of the white peoplo living in the district. Tho doctor warned tho Natives that they must not leave ths> settlement unless in need of pro- •' visions, and that then they must carry a yellow flag denotiflg that they were quarantined. They would then bo stop- ■' pod at tho Victoria Bridge, over the Winkato RivKr, and supplies would be obtain* ed for them. The Natives seemed to un«i derstand 1 the seriousness of the position. and'ttcebpted the situation. _ ,:i .»«.•

Dr. Stapley is of the opinion that th# l casts are smnllpox, although he does not. officially say so. Every precaution is) being taken in Cambridge. Numbers are' being vaccinated, and everything possible' is being done to check tho outbreak. In-! spector Dennett has taken up his residence in tho pavilion oh Victoria Square, which has been hurriedly fitted up for him. Dr. Stapley has also isolated' himself. The outbrealc has caused a sensation at Mauugatautari, where thp Natives occupy many positions which they will have to relinquish. A. Native boy, was a mailman, but ho had to give that? up, and the European family who kept the post oflko have gone away, leaving the _ place closed. • . ~ , Dr. Stapley savs that the trouWo i« the major disease. Tho man whose corpsaj he examined at the settlement was aged 32. There ara now 15 others down with', the disease. ' Hamilton, July 10. A case of smallpox has been notified in the Maori settlement of Whitiwhata. A male Nativo infected was brought to Hamilton, and isolated at tho hospital. QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT. r In tho Houso of Representatives yesterday afternoon Mr. J. A. Young (Waikato) asked the Minister for Public Health whether his attention had been drawn to the outbreak of a disease amongst tho Na-i fives at Maungatautere, near Cambridge, | and, if so, whether ho had taken immodiato steps to secure tho isolation of tlieso Natives. Mr. Young read a letter published in ft Waikato newspaper. It stated tluit a large number of Natives suffering from wliat is either chickonpox or smallpox, and that up to tho, tirno of writing no medical nieu hud visited tho settle-♦ mcnt. Tho Nativo who died in Auckland! recently, allegedly from _ chickonpox, tlio letter continued, ctuuo quite recently from Mauuffataiilerc. Tho Hon. R, H. Rhodes said that tho Department of Public Health had received early intimation of the outbreak of j whait was either chickonpox or emallpox at Maungatautere. Immediate instruc-,, tions had beon given lo a medical officer to visit tho settlement, and precautions were lying taken to prevent Natives going in to Cambridge. HEALTH OFFICER'S VIEWS. In reply to a question last evening tho Chief Health Officer (Dr. Valintine) stated that it was still impossible to make a definite pronouncement as to the linturo of tho epidemic amongst, tho Auckland Natives. Ho, however, stated,that tho disease was undoubtedly tho same ns that existing in Sydney, although it is ■ not' smallpox as wo know it. "Tho disease," he said, "was first known in Trinidad, where it was prevalent for some time bofore it was diagnosed as smallpox, the first description being cliickenpox." It ( spread thence to America, he added, and 'from Vancouver to Auckland os already, described. It was, believed that the sickness was communicated to tho Maoris by a Mormon elder. Tho latest reports from Whangarei received late yesterday after- . noon are of a reassuring nature, and tho diswiso does not appear to be sproadiug in that district.