INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2854, 19 August 1916, Page 10

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

TREATMENT OF CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL A CHARGE DENIED '.A statement was made by Mrs. T. M. Wilford at the'meeting'of the Hospital Board on Thursday 10 which the Hospital authorities take exception, and the chairman of the Hospital board (Mr. Baldwin) yesterday invited a .Dominion representative to hear a refutation or correction of it liy Dr. Morice, acting-medical superintendent. Mrs. Wilford made a statement that the cases of infantile paralysis still uncured were.not given a fair chance' in the Hospital. And she went on to justify this staleinont by saying that Hie children, instead of being put into a ward bv themselves, "were herded in the ordinary wards along with every other sort of disease.". _ The actingsuperintendent was net in the boardj'room when this, charge was made, and did not, therefore, meet it nt the time. Dr. Morice, in a statement on the subject yesterday, said that when the infantile paralysis cases were first lakon into the Hospital, they were put into two special wards isolated for this purpose, and were kept in isolation for two months. When tl|e numbers decreased, ono of these wards only was occupied—namely, the new annexe to the Scddo'n Shelters, which had not been used for patients before. When the numbers were stijl further reduced —for some of the eases made comparatively speedy recoveries—the remaining patients, of which there were by this time only eight, were put in the medical ward of the Children's Hospital. Thoy wore, of course, perfectly free from infection long before this. Never at any titnc was there any over> crowding in this ward. These patients were not a source of danger to the other children in the ward, nor were, the other children wlio were suffering from vari pus non-infectious disorders common among children any" danger to them. This medical ward of the Children's Hospital, far from being an unsuitable place for those eight children, was & very suitable place for them to bo put. The use of the'term "herded" was cor thinly not.justified. NURSE EVERETT AND MISS BEVILAQUA. By Telegraph—l'ro.ss Association. Cjiristchurch, August 18. Regarding the letter of Miss Bevilaqua and the discussion at the Wellington Hospital Board Nurse Everett, who is referred to and who is paying a holiday visit to Christchurcb, told a reporter to-day that she considered Miss Bevilaqua's statements "most unjust."' She says that in the first place Miss Bevilaqua according to the Minister of Public Health has no power to appoint the two ladies mentioned. Already there are four on the honorary staff of the Wellington Hospital. These are Misses Clark, Salter, Morris, and Nurse Everett herselg. The ladies mentioned had continued treatment from the start of the epidemic until to-day. On arrival in Wellington Miss Bevilaqua expressed approval of the advanced condition of the children afflicted, and they practically are all discharged. Misses Helmfelt and Kane did not volunteer to help them until the question of salary arose. Nurse Everett says she then retired in order to leave Miss Bevilaqua free, but Nurse Everett's assistants continued to work with her. Miss Bevilaqua, however, preferred the other two ladies mentioned.