FIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 44, 16 November 1918, Page 6

FIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC

A xoie of grave and urgent warn- • ing >. is, ; struck- in -; to"-.day's- reports •dealingTn'th th'ej influenza"'epidemic. As; bejudged'theve is still .apqssibility of checking the scourge •loc.aliy-before it attains as serious •'dimensions'as it did in Auckland, but this hope is contingent absolutely, upon the organisation of a completely effective 'counter-cam-paign. It is. a.material point in oHif favour' that the alarming experience of the northern city led to the early adoption 1 in Wellington of' preventive remedial, measures. But .the idahger that the .epidemic may get out of hand -is, still in sight, and it would become acute if there were failure or_ slackening in the organisation which" has been created to fight the disease. This being so, there is matter for serious concern in the reports which show to-day that under?existing conditions it is impossible for doctors to ■cope-with-the demands made upon their, services, and. also that, there is a shortage of .the voluntary helpers who .-.niust- be obtained if the period of the epidemic is to be' reduced to a minimum. The position .disclosed in, regard..to, medical assistance- 'calls 'for'' instant and decided action. A deplorable state of 'affairs is pictured by Mr. William ■Foster, who is' in charge of the voluntary organisation which is -working.-in-the Wellington East district.'-. He states-'amongst other things that--'there', were- cases of extreme urgency yesterday, which could riot be assisted owing to the serious shortage of medical assistance. Nc\Vs from other sources is to the same general effect. Another voluntary worker; (Mr. Gellatly) state's that there have been many urgent cases in his district (Ly'all Bay), 'bii't doctors cannot'be secured •tb"atfcnd them.' "It had come down to'watching but'for a doctor when one was in'tbe district, and buttonholing him lo visit other places." Two facts are. established;- As.mat'tcrs"sta:nd, the'deinahd:'fp'r medical assistance"-is hopelessly:;in, excess..of the" supply." _ At the same time no really effective step has yet been taken towards making the most of the liniitedjiumberof doctors available. This obviously is a case for method and organisation. It is not consistent, with ordinary intelligence that in the- crisis of a dangerous epidemic an inadequate force of 'medical practitioners should be scattered haphazard all-over a ■metropolitan area, attending' to all sorts of cases. This means, of course, that doctors arc condemned to waste an. enormous amount .of. time in needless travelling. • It means also, or- is liable ,to ■ mean, that whilo in .desperate- need-'arc deprived of skilled treatment, others who might well be asked in existing circumstances-to dispense with medical treatment arc taking up the time of the doctors.

Nothing is further from our thoughts than to cast any reflection upon the local members of the "medical profession, who arc spending, themselyes. frecjy,,an;l devotedly andat not : -a little'-pcrsonal risk in efforts to quell the epidemic. Neither is any serious reflection implied against..the Public Health Department. What has been done here and elsewhere in fighting the .scourge.has,ljad..to..be cjpne.quickly; there.' hasi'.li'eeh 1 it'tle, enough time for .perfecting. or, improving organisation. - But now that-it is' so plainly manifest that the best is not being made of the limited number of doctors, available, there is only one thing to do. - The city must be mapped out in blocks or districts and doctors must be apportioned to these .districts, i-This-is the only way to make their efforts tell with maximum effect. Working in defined districts, they will not only "save''a great deal of time now spent in travelling, but by._ working with 'the" voluntary organisations, established in,'.these.districts'. .will be enabled...to'visit cases in' the order their relative urgency demands. Apart from tho organisation of the doctors' themselves, .the'rc'.a're. useful possibilities, in -a-suggestion mado in our columns on Thursday by a correspondent. It was in effect that a few hundred[men might bo trainc'd v -i , apfdlj > '.. ; in.-ihc application of ordinary treatment. Both men and women might advantageously lie ; trained on these -lines. .Brief instruction'should enable them to supervise the treatment of large num•bci's of cases classified by doctors a-s "■mild: 'One'result would be to lighten the overwhelming burden now imposed on doctors, and it is likely ,also that,under this procedure tho proportion of niild cases developing -into more serious forms of the disease would be reduced.

The failure' th'usVfar to make the most of the limited number of medical.men...ayai]ablc is. not, the only disquieting feature of'the situation emphasised to-day. It.is announced by the Mayor that the response to his application for voluntary helpers... to. fight the,epidemic has been ■most-Unsatisfactory,''"'and that every district is short of helpers. This is not a creditable state of affairs, and it is- one-, for. which a remedy must be found in short order. The urgent need that exists and the evident danger that if-comprehensive measures are not taken to check it the epidemic may soon far exceed its present dangerous spread should amply-suffice, tq-inducc a- free inflow "of Voluntary' workers. It will be a humiliating state of affairs if at such a time appeals to public spirit and a 'Sense of.-, duty fall on deaf cars. But should these appeals fail, whatever inducements arc needed to bring in the required number of Workers must,be'offered freely and promptly.;" This, is not a, tinie for parsimony ? or. undue- economy. It may J)e advisable to supplement the general'-appeali' which thus far has been denied an' adequate response, "with' something in the nature of an organised canvass;' Such details, however, may be. left to the Health Department and the civic authorities'. The essential tiling is that workers should he obtained in adequate ' numbers', and at" once. It is very desirable that workers should be available in sufficient numbers not only to locate cases and provide for the' care and treatment of sufferers, hut to interest themselves in securing the widest, possible adoption of precautionary and preventive measures. Evidence is availably unfortunately, that neglect of these measures is somewhat, common, arid.-this, ■ course,;, means that the

conditions, in. which, the epidemic develops and.spreads-arc being perpetuated. Much might be done by organised .effort to correct this state of affairs. As a whole, we are distinctly short of the point at which it could be said thai, all was being done that might be done to suppress the epidemic. It is .above all essential that the services of medical practitioners should be organised forthwith on a more, effective, .plan than has been, framed iip to the present. ...