TRENTHAM CAMP INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2524, 27 July 1915, Page 7

TRENTHAM CAMP INQUIRY

♦ : V■, t'WHARE AND SHACK?'? CRAVE STRICTURE ON BERHAMPORE • HOSPITAL .'.... JUDGE REPROVES DOCTOR REFLECTIONS THEREUPON WITH. s DRAWN, Th'e Trentham Camp Koyal Commission Continued the. taking of - evidence' yesterday. '- His Honour, • Mr. Justice Hosking, presided, aixd. tho other members of the Qommision are Dr. A. A. Martin and Mr. . iW. Ferguson. ' . Magncs Badger, a Field 'Ambulance .Sergeant, who went on duty at tho Race-course-Kiosk Hospital on June 28, gave evidence, in tlie course of which ho. said that the sum total of "any complaints" invited by visitors on one ■occasion Was • that another pair of boots was needed. ' \ Dr. Martin: You said that most of the . cases 1 itakenl into the kiosk vrcro ; simple luases? 4 .■ ' : . Witness: Yes; I should say 85 per cent. ■ . And-measles cases were taken in there? >-^"Ycs." And the. simple, colds would be amongst measles cases?—" Well, it—Answer that!—"l don't understand what you mean. by ; the term 'amongst.' Were the measles cases in tho kiosk p— "Yes." ' ■ How many atomisers did yoij gee there? ,«-"About a: dozen." t : You would be surprised if you heard thero was l only one ?—"Very muoh i sur•pnsed." ■ 1 . Dr.,'Do Latour, who' gave his evidenco in 'chief "last week,/, was cross-examined by ilr. A. Gray. Dr. Do Latour said, in • replyv to MS 4 ; Gray, that he retired from » liis connection with tho New Zealand Military Forces in 1911, . because he was.

superseded by- Colonel Purdy, who was • 21 years his junior. He had,claimed that pcsition (to which Colonel Purdy was appointed) by'virtue of his seniority and qualifications. He had issued pamphlets, and written .to the Press on the subject, und had petitioned Parliament for compensation. Mr. Gray: You, have a grievance in the

natter? : ; , . •/. i Dr. De La tour: I would hardly call it that; Put it that way if yoa wish. It was in the hope of ultimately succeeding to' this position, so. that I had' gone to considerable expense, and had gono Home . at my own expense.

A ; Dr, Do .Latour Continues. * Mr. Gray: And you were disappointed? 1 Dr. Do Latour: Naturally. . i In* answer.to further questions by Mr. Grayj' Dr. Do Latour said that he did ■ not know the exact figures of New Zealand's civil death-rate, but considered that the. pneumonia' figures at Trentham were higher, than tho figures for the- civil i population. Ho did npt knoiv of his oivn. ./knowledge that any part of the camp had been placed over the site'of old latrines, , but ho had not been in. the least ' surprised. when he had been given information to that effect.. ' His Honour: Someone from the camp : can easily .disprove it if it .was not so? • i Mr.-.Gray: Yes. His Honour:-In'the meantime, Dr. De Latour's;. presumption is that they were there, and- the photograph, ho thinks, lends" to. that presumption, Mr.; Gray: ion produced a photograph of the camp in Egypt.' Would you De surprised to know'that the death-rate ' among-;the' meri'/inj'campin Egypt : 'waa . " higher than the death-rate at Trentham'? ; DM De Latour: I should not be at all .'surprised.;. . 1 They were not,taught . camp,sanitation..•.. . aL: ! His: Honour: The men wero not taught, ior the. doctors were not taught ? • Dr.' Do Latour: Neither. j Mr."' Gray: You have not heard any--1 thing.of the recent doings, at .Colchester . j„Camp?. '■ • V .'Drl .De Latout: N<>- ■ Mr. G'ray:' Then:you,would- not be sur-prised-to-hear-that hutments'there are built to hold 60 men? >■ , Dr.'De Latour said that .-buildings .to ''accommodate; 60 "men were more in the .'nature of barracks than Jiutments. His suggestion was that hutments tended to reduce the vitality of the men.. ■ , i Mr.' Gray: Then ybu;would, perhaps, be 'surprised to know that the first battalion of the Trentham Regiment were infected , and the\second. were not. : ,\They both j .went into huts from the start.' I Dr. De Latour: Which row of.huts? V Mr. Gray: Do you suggest- that that ■matters? • . ' Dr. Da Latour: Yes; that's; the' point. If, as I am led to believe, some of the huts are built over the: site of the' old latrines,:that is where I should expect to find the sickness. I In reply to a question from His Honour, Colonel Pui'dy, who was in ; the ICommissioii room, said, that there had been a comparative immunity from sickness while. the men were in tents. ' Dr. De Latour remarked that there had been a great deal of disease as as. "January. ; . ' , . His: Honour: Yes, as you say. They began to come into the hospital'in Feb.ruary. ..- ■ Dr. De Latour added that he would only suggest that the continued occupation of y the game ground more and more saturated ' the'ground with germs. The weakening of the other germs permitted the disease germs to-grow stronger nnd moro malig--1 aant,. The succeeding, cases of measles 'iwerc much more serious and malignant jthau the earlier cases. ' ( An M.P.'s Statement Disputed. •j Sergeant Yallop, .who was in charge at 1 Berhamgore Hospital from June 1 to June 18, said that there was no telephone at tho hospital .for the first days of . the occupation of-the place. ;.This caused nothing worse than inconvenience to the orderlies, who had to-ring up from a ■ telephone in. a house near by. On one ;occasion, just prior to the removal to '•Wellington Hospital of a solider, now de- . ceased, he rang up for Dr. Clay, not for Colonel Purdy, who was in-charge of the /hospital. Dr.' Martin asked if it did not seem. a i little unusual to, instead of-calling in the doctor who had been visiting tho patient, call another doctor. Sergeant Yallop said that Colonel 'Purdy would -be at Upper , Hutt at the time he rang up. y Dr. Martin:. However, that is what occurred? : Sergeant-Yallop r Yes. . ' Sergeant Yallop said that he was afterwards stationed at; Kaiwarra Hospital. On January, 18 there were 185 patients there,-'and the number went up to 260 in July. . : On July 25 (Sunday last) there were : 140, and there had been no fresh admissions since July 20. On July 19, 49 cases came in from Trentham. Out of 371 discharged, 17 went to the, General , ['Hospital, 2 to Berhawpore, 1G to Upper jHutt, 78 to Trentham', and 258 were 6ent ion leave to their homes. j' Sergeant Yallop then referred to a listatement attributed to a member of tho - 'House of Representatives. Ho read the ■following from a Wellington newspaper:— ] "Mr. Hornsby asked if the Minister would I take some steps to secure the punishment • of the persons responsible for the lament- : .able happenings that were being reported ;to the House. He mentioned tho case of a. mau who had been taken from Trenthem Camp to the Kaiwarra Hospital in an unconscious state, and whose parents had received no notice at all of his serious. illness.' The man had been unconscious for three days, and had been near Ito death." Mr. Hornsby, it was reported, '.had added that he, had beon out to Kaiwarra .to see the man.. Sergeant Yallop said that on'the day this statement was reported to have been made in the House Mr. Hornsby had called at Kaiwarra Hospital with a letter, to see Pte. G. G. Pcar>o7l. Pte. Pearson had come to Kaiwarra jroqi Wellington Hospital, not from Trentham, iu a motor-ear, quite conscious ;was conscious the while he was at Kaiwarra hs a convalescent; and, moreover, was up out of bed during most of that lime. Mr. Salmond: Was he up when Mr. gornsby saw him? , Sergeant Yallop; Yey,

Mr. Salmoijd: Was that before that question was asked in tho House? Sergeant "Yallop: Yes. His Honour: There is no foundation whatever for the extract you have read? Sergeant Yallop: None whatever. No Military Guard, ' Dr. Martin: Was there any straying of patients away from tho Borhampore Hospital and going to private houses? Sergeant Yallop: I received information of on-: or two instances of that kind. His, Honour: It would have been possible for men to escapo and go to privato houses? Sergeant Yallop: Quito possible—after dark. Dr. Martin: Had the hospital a guard?' Sergeant Yallop: No. There was no military guard?—" None." You knew it was a military .'unit?— ''Yes, but it is not usual for a hospital to have a guard.'" What: Not for an infectious military hospital? Can you tell us any houses these men went into ?—"! did not hear of men actually going info houses." ■ Mr. Salmond: Were there patients kept 111 the stables? Sergeant. Yallop: 'In the harness .room and the 4 chaff room. Not actually in the stables ?—"No." Were there'beds in these outbuildings ?— Not at first." '.' His Honour; It was perfectly olean, and had not been occupied by horses or anything for some time ? Sergeant Yallop; Not os' far as I could see. Mr. Ferguson: But yon wero not there at the §tart. Sergeant Yallop: That is so. Mr, Gray: Did you see anything objectionable about theso outbuildings? Sergeant Yallop: No,

Jr. W. B. 0. Ferguson, a captain in the New Zealand .Medical Corps, said that at Trontham camp 4 he was given charge of general diseases cases, but had nothing to do with tho measles. First the hospital for general diseases was located in several marquees* but when the disease "got go? ing" it was located in the racecourse buildings. -What the wjtness Magnus Badger had said to the effect that measles and other cases were taken into the kiosk together was absolutely wrong. There Were no measles cases there; jnen showing measles symptoms were Temoved. [ When witness took over the Jaosk'there was no equipment; it was taken over to meet an emergency. He notified the administrative authorities of what was needed, and there was no-undue delay in getting the equipment. Bespecting the case of tho late Private Badger, who was admitted,to the kiosk hospital on June 23, witness diagnosed his ca.se as influenza. When Private Badger was'admitted his temperature was' 101,4, but there was no other bad symptom. His temperature improved, but later he had a shivering fit, and from then his teniperatuire rose. Ho was rtmoved to another- room to be near where witness slept. As soon as' his case became dangerous, Dr. Ferguson had his relatives notified by telegram. He developed cerebral liaemorrlaga and facial paralysis. His re-latives.-had some distance to come, and when they arrived he was Tinconscious, or partly so, . , -

Private Badger, had "No Undue Hardship."

Dr. Martin: You are satisfied he suffered no iindue hardship? Dr. Ferguson: Perfectly satisfied that he got better attention than he would have got anywhero else in New Zealand. The Sister . in charge was a most magnificent nurse.

Dr.' Martin: There were no groumds for complaint?;..' Dr. Ferguson: Absolutely none. Dr; Ferguson said that he had not jjiven Sergeant Badger authority to give tabloids to patients. He slid, also, that horseboxes at the Tacecourse were used on an occasion when they were found to be infinitely, better than tents in which to shelter from a rain storm. The boxes were quit? clean <tnd 4«7-'

To Dr. Maytin: He could not say how. many of,the orderlies "were taken from the nursing Section of the'ambulance, and how inainy from the bearer section. The whole of .witness's tipVe was .taken lip- in looking after the patieijts ;■ he-wai': -'working for' from 18 to 20 hours per daj" when the rush was on. Besides, the provision of nurses and orderlies rested with.Dr. Valijitine.

■ Dr. Martin,: -Were you satisfied with- the orderlies'you had?

•Dr. Ferguson: Ye 3.' ' • Did you ever ask for any assistance?— "Oh, yes, many times." Didi -you get assistance?—" Not immediately, I nsked for jnoro medical men to come in, but it seemed difficult to get them at the time."'

You said Vou were over-worked? —' f Yes; but it was simply hard work at a number of cases which were mostly not serious. It was not a matter of missing, serious cases." ' ■ , ■

Dr. H. L. H. Steele deposed that on June 30 he-was rung up and aslced to go to' Berhampore to eco some bad cases at the hospital there. He went, and the nurse . in charge, showed him two patients, private Fordham and Private.Pollard. Iloth were iery bad, and one of them was dying at the time. One, ho found, had very severe bronchial pneumonia. .Dr. Martin: Did you order their removal to the Wellington Hospital? Dr. Steele: No. I asked why they wero there (at Berhampore). His-Honour: You think they should not haveibeen there? Dr. Steele: Certainly not. ' Dr. Martin: Do you know if they were dead when they got to Wellington Hospi-. tal? - - Dr. Steele: I oould not say. You would not have removed them?— "No; there was no object in removing them; they were too far gone." Who ordered his removal?— Captain Harrison-was in charge of the' cases." Hls Honour and Dr. Steele. Dr. Steele described Berhampore Hospital as a whare, a shack, and a place unfat for the use to which it was being pnt. His Honour: Aro you aware this building you call a shack and a. whaTG was putap as an infectious diseases hospital? Dr. Steele: I am .not aware of it. You saw the building P-"I only saw it at night." . . , And you describe tnw .hospital as o shack "Tlrnt is iny impression. I .was only in it at night," , Tliea why do you come here and maKGx these statements ?—"lt is only my impression." We must have something better tfcan that f—"l will withdraw it." 'For ft medical man to come hero and call it a shack!—"l will take it back, I am. .sorry you did- not Teatiso the Im. portance of the statement.'—"l withdraw it, sir."... . Would yon like to seo the place Tjeroro you express any further opinion?— No, sir. I-withdraw the statement, and Will put it this way, that I didnt see the place except at night." Dr. Harrison, Captain in tho New land Medical .Corps, who went to Tren. tham Camp on June 1, and was on June 12 put in. charge of the meusles cases, which were eventually located at Berhampore, the Victoria 'Ward, and tho isoltion ward of tlio Wellington Hospital, and Kaiwarra, said that he visited each place one every day. Inspecting the -cases of Private Pollard >and Private Fordham, ho said that one day when he saw them their temperatures were up, and ho considered that if they were not better next day he would have them removed to Wellington Hospital. Next day, however, they were markedly worse, and he considered that it would be dangerous to remove then. Ho thought that nursing, plus medical attention was all that could bo done in such casos, and the nursing -was absolutely all that could be wished for. He was asked one day if ho would consult with Dr. Thacker respecting one of the Berhampore cases, and ho refused to, but agreed to consult with Dr Herbert. Dr. Martin: Why did you make the exception with Dr. Thaeker? i)r. Harrison: Dr. Thaeker was a politician, and I knew that Dr. Herbert was in general practice. Dr. Martin: There is a list here from tlio Commandant saying that Privates Fordham and Pollard died in t|iQ Wellington Hospital. Dr. Harrison: They died in Berliampore. Dr. Martin: The evidence is that. Berhampore had a clean list. To your knowledge there were two deaths there? Dr. Harrison: Yes. His Honour: Was this a sudden development of pneumonia.? Dr. Harrison i In those two moa it was. K Hia Honour: Would you pull the Ber-

hamporo Hospital an okl v.liaro or a shack? Dr. Harrison: Certainly not..

iThe Medical Side Undisciplined, Was it adapted for tho purposes of a measles hospital?—" Yes. . , It would serve its turn quite well." AVas there propir equipment there in the way of bedding and so on?—" Yes." What were the general results obtained there?—" Very good." When you thought patients were going to bo seriously ill yon had them removed to the Wellington Hospital ?—"Yes." 'Mr.' Gray: Most of the sickness was amongst the Second Battalion of the Trentham ltegiment? Dr. Harrison: Yes.

What does that suggest to yon '—"Either that they w?ve a particularly puny, unresisting ' body' of men, or that tliey brought specially bad disease in with thom."

Dr. Harrison slated that it was absolutely wrong to say tlmt doctors refused to go to tho tents to see sick mon who wero unable to "t> to the doctors. Ho had gene, and so haa other doctors, most willingly. The camp hospital, in his time there, was excellent.

Captain Edward Yeates, who lihd military medical experience during the South African war, and in Africa after the war, find was with tho New Zealand troops in Samoa, was called. He said that ho Toported at Trentham camp on November 29, and was 011 the strength there till February 27. The camp struck him as being improperly laid out, the tents were too close together, and the medical side was undisciplined and lacking in system, particularly in regard to tho sick parades. As far as he knew 310 one got any orders about low the sick parades wero to bo carried • out. Conditions wero altered somewhat later. Ho objected to tho then existing parades as, "impossible." Tho drugs and dressings at first wore kept in the same marquee as tlio parade was held in, some of the orderlies wero .untrained, and the consequence was confusion'. The method of swabbing out throats was bad, because, there were not enough brushes, and the. brushes wore used again without being.properly sterilised.

Dr. Martin: How did they cleanse them ? Dr. Yeates: As far as I could see they dipped them in hot water occasionally. Dr. Yeates jnstanccd a case of a man who was ordered one thing by one doctor on parade; hp passed on and was collared by another doctor, who ordered something else; and was afterwards given a third prescription by still another doctor. . Mr. Skerrett: Should the number of men attending sick parade have been significant to the doctors in camp? . Dr. Yeates: Certainly. Dr. Yeates added that the doctors in camp were well qualified medical men, but lacked experience in dealing with military camps. The camp site was not ideal, but could ■be made thoroughly suitable. There was no system of striking tents. He saw them struck for airing only twice in two months.. Tho, Court will resume at 10.15 this morning.