VEILED PLAGUE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2199, 11 July 1914, Page 7

VEILED PLAGUE

, SUGGESTED REMEDIES' \ DEPUTATION FROM MEDICAL CONGRESS \ % LEGISLATION NEEDED. A , deputation last week waited upon I tho Mimstm of Pubho Healtli '(the, Hoii E, Iloaton llhodes) on tho subject of \enoreal diseases, and placed bofore lnm the Tccominondationsl of tho British Medical Association | Tho depn- , tation consisted of Dr. Collins, chairman of the Permanent Commission, on Venereal Diseases, appointed by tlio 'Australasian Medical Congress, held ,n Auckland in February, 1914; Dr. Elliott nnd Dr Tolluust, chairman and eccretar> respectivolj of £h© Council of tlio British Medical Association; Dr Holmes % iind Di Gibbs, president and secretary JespectiVoly of tho local branch of tho British Medical Association. Dr. Collins said that at the geneial ( Jneetmg of tho congress it uas resolvod tliat tho Special Committee's report on B\phihs, and the additional momorandum submitted bj the Australian delegates, should bo adopted and submitted to tho various Go\crnmonts and bodies interested Thai report had alreadj j been submitted to the Government, but he thought it his duW; to bung .tho report officially before tho Minister, to have it submitted to the Government with tho view of mtroduc- / ing legislation to deal with tho matter At the end of the congress a permanent commission was, appointed to collect mfoimation on the subject 'Uniformity of Legislation. 'Continuing his remarks, Dr Collins said that tno object the Australasian Medical had in view in sotting up a permanent commission was / to try to arrive at some uniformity in the legislation of the Australian States and Hew Zetland on the subject. Sjphilis paiticularly, as far as Now Zealand was concerned, was largely seaborne That was proved by tho fact that it was most prevalent in Auckland and in -Wellington, the ports that most of the steamers arrived at 'from abroad, and tlio chief bourcos of infection were through Sydnoy.and the Islands i ' , If some common ground could be arrived at by which the sea-faring people could bo educated up to tho dangers of the diseases and their contagious nature, and also if they r coTild be encouraged to undeigo treatment as early as possible, a'great advance would be made in the direction of stamping out the diseases. To do this it might be Accessary to carry medical men on the intercolonial steamers, and aiso on tho ,steamers trading with'the Islands, for one of'tho great dangers to New Zealand was the enormous amount of i/voneieal diseases in tho Islands l i To Eliminate the Disease. > If some unitoimity of legislation between Australia and New Zealand, or between the Australian States themselves and New Zealand could be arnved at, he believed a_ good deal would bo done towards eliniinating 'a. disease which wae probably & very much greater , cause ot' tho destiuction of life than eithei tubercle or taucor, or both combined. , Dr Collins dealt with the recommendation ot tho committee seriatim.— "(1) Th,at syphilis be declared a noti- ' fiablo disease 'lEat'ndtikati6n be encouraged, and discrotionary, »btit not compulsory, and that ihe chief medical / officer of healtli be tho only, person to ' whom tho notification be'made. "(2) That pro/ision be made through the Hospital Boards to establish laboratories m tho four centres where not already existent foi' tho diagnosis of syphilis , i ,0) That free treatment m tho public hospitals and dispensaries be piovided f<Ji •.jphilitics ' , '"('1) That stepi be taken to educate tho mercantile mauno as to the dangeie of byphihs, and that provision bo made , for preventative tieatment 6n the intercolonial seuico ' "(3) That legislation, be enacted 'against the treatment of syphilitica by unqualified peisons" Dr, CjHiiis suggested that the first people vl'o should bo educated on tho fcubject wore members of 'Parliament Hβ suggested that with the concurrence of the Mmistei's colleaguos ho should ask tho president oh the Australasian Medical Congiess and .the president of the New Zealand branch of tho British Medical Association w ariange for one or' two lectures to be given privately to mombeis of Parliament If such lectures were delivered ho believed they would have'ii gieater effect in disseminating throughout iiho country tho knowledga of the injurious effects of these diseases than could bo obtained by the r committee travelling through the country lecturing to mixed atidiencs on , a subject whioh could only bo handled very delicately without doing harm. . t Minister's Reply. In the course of his reply Mr. Rhodes said that he had had the matter brought befoio him recently by members of tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board With regard to notification ho pointed out that ho thought that should bo dono by numbers, foi he was firmly or the opinion that there would be little or no notification unless it was dono by numbers Pcoplo would avoid going to y doctor*, and when they did go doctors would bo reluctant >to name their patients Tho foimer deputation also suggested that lectures should be delivered to members of Parliament, but thej wont further than that and sugge&ted loctuios to school toichort Ho thought that in a matter Mo that they should proceed v cry cautiously He was not prepared to say how far tiicy should go in the- matter of educating school ~ tpohers and school childien on these »4 eiibjects The suggestion had been mido that school children should bo spoken to on tho'.o matters on, then leaving echool That was a suggestion ivhich might be earned out, but it would have to bo done verj tactfully, and m his opinion was really the duty of tho * parents. Fres Treatment, Mr Rhodes, thought that they should givo fieo treacment to thoso who tould not afford to paj, otherwise , the disease would never be stamped out 'Ihe pioposal for fiec treatment included dispeiisanes Ho was not inclined to look tavouiably upon the establishment ot dispensaiies tor that purpose, becauso peoples would be disinclined to go to them, established as they would bo for tho treatment of special diseases 110 Has favourable to the proposal to havo night clinics at tho Hospital As to the fifth recommendation, that legislation should be enacted against the treatment of syphilitica by unqunli--1 lied persons, he thought they would meet with some difficulty in preventing - such treatment From tho reports ho had received, and from what tho deputation told him, ho was satisfied that great harm was being done b> , treatment by unqualified persons, and if they could step tho practice he thought they should do so. Mr Rhodes agiecd that even at a cost of £5000 or £7000 per annum it would be monoj well spent if it wcio passiblo to stamp out tho diseases in a few years Lectures on Ships. Regarding the suggestion that steps should be taken to educate the mercantile marino as to the dingers, and that provision should bo made for preventative treatment op the intercolonial ser- , -.vice, he said that it had been suggested

to him that ships' doctors should give lectures on tho steamers to immigrants, general passengeis, and crews Thcj would be met with the difficulty of getting shipping companies to cairj dogtors on the intercolonial and Island services, but he had already promised to wjinmunicato with the managers of the Union Steam Ship Compam and tho Huddart-Parker Company on tho subject Regarding tho suggested appointment of registrar to obtain reliable' statistics, ho asked would it not be eosth ? In looking through tho statistics, ho hnd beon impressed with their unconiplctcncss ill some respects He thought thnt tho eountrj ehonld bo fnlh informed on the ravages of the diseases In conclusion, lie thanked tho, Medical Association for their offer of assistance, and 'hoped to be able to avail himself of it