OTAKI SANATORIUM

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2599, 22 October 1915, Page 3

OTAKI SANATORIUM

A SERIOUS TROUBLE

DELAY OF THE PATIENTS

In his report to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday, Dr. Basil Adams] tuberculosis medical officer of the board, in dealing with the Otaki Sanatorium, had the following remarks to make: —"I beg to draw your attention to the fact that over one-half of the -women's bods ar© oriipty. I have only sent nine women'to the sanatorium I in tho six moiitlis I have been in office (some of these were not really suitable, cases),'for tho reason that I see practically no oases of tuberculosis in a curable stage. I am at a loss to account for this, but can only surmise that the population generally does not realise the insidious nature of the onset of this disease, and, in consequence, those affected do not apply for medical attention until the disease has such a hold on them that they are incurable. When I first took charge at Otaki I examined tho 25 patients not admitted by myself. In seven I oould find no evidence of tuberculosis; four had advanced disease, and were quite unsuitable for sanatorium .treatment; twelve had chronic disease; those, though they might derive benefit from treatment, had very little chance of permanent arrest; one had disease of his glands, and one only was really a suitable case likely to derive permanent benefit, and it is for'this class of case that sanatorium treatment is intended, and to which admission to tho sanatoria in Great Britain is limited. Some of these patients had been many months in the Otaki Sanatorium; two over a year, and one over 4% years. A glance at the note attached to the discharges this month is not very encouraging, and I think that this is a fair sample of the results obtained at Otaki, which is not nearly so good as it ought to be." In the note attached, Dr. Adams said that of the six cases discharged during tlie month, one man and one woman had. their disease incompletely arrest-' ed, but were fit for work; three left with the disease in a stationary condition, and one'was worse. •• The Rev. H. Vail Staveren said that he thought the site of the sanatorium was unsuitable for the cases sent there. It appeared that a place at a greater elevation was required, and the matter was one that Iwould have to be taken into consideration. Mr. J. Smith thought, that patients who were taken in, in many cases, had not been taken sufficiently early.'

Mr. B. R. Gardener thought that the doctor should supply them with a complete . report as to whether the Otaki Sanatorium was really a sanatorium. They should get such a complete report before they discussed the matter. Dr. 3. K. Elliott stressed the importance of early treatment in ' tubercular eases. Mr. J. W. said that it'was noyer expected that Otaki was to bo for advanced cases, yet from the report it appeared that there wero only advanced cases there. In England sanatoriums were only for the early cases; good results were not expected from advanced cases. He took tho viow that they should seek out the early cases.-He thought that Dr. Adams was on tho right track. Dr. Adams said that the report was in the nature of an interim report covering his first sis months. He agreed ■that the trouble was that they/could not get the patients in during the early stages of ike,'disease..- Tbat'./was, the trouble in thefjOW £pjbj»!i&iSHe j was not able yet give:'a"cbmplete report ou. tbo suitability, of-the,, climate at Otaki. A stigma seemed to attach to people who had been in the sanatorium, whether they had really had consumption or not, and this had something to do with the of those in the early stages of the disease in seeking admission. . ■ , ■ The report was received.