MERCURIAL TREATMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 52, 26 November 1918, Page 6

MERCURIAL TREATMENT

BRILLIANT RESULTS REPORTED.

(Rec. November 25, 2.30 p.m.) Athens, November 24, Mercurial '.treatment lias been tried for influenza, with brilliant results.— "The Times." ■

[This probably refers to injections of mercury, practised in certain diseases affecting the blood,!

PROBLEM OF THE CHILDREN

A. CBNTBAL HOSTEL NECESSARY. Inquiry elicited the fact the proper care of children bereft temporarily or permanently by the epidemic is one not so easily or readily solved as may first have been imagined. Experience is a great teacher. It was decided initially that lifter a'cursory examination the children, gathered into tihe. Town Hall, 'should be sent direct to the Minimal , Golf Club's premises at Miramar, but the folly of such a course, has been abundantly manifested in the fact that ten of the thirty-two children sent out to Miramar have had to be brought back to town suffering from influenza. There is nothing alarming in this, ns tho children came from infected homes, but it indicated a weakness in the system which has to-be remedied at once. It was suggested to (lie Public Health authorities thai: a far better method would be to establish {it some central point— the new Teachers' Training College at Kelburn was offered for the purpose—a children's creche, observation chamber, and hospital and clearing-house, leaving tho Miramar golf-house for healthy children only.' But this scheme did not meet with the approval of the Health authorities, wl)o; however, saw tho need of something of the sort, and suggested that the children might 'nitially be housed at tho Normal (Thoriidon) School. That school, is objected to on the. score that tho building is an old one, and is al-

I ready being used as a women's hospital and a maternity hospital, whereas the Training College- is new, and far more healthily situated. The difficulty of the situation is accentuated by rpusun of the fact that, the ladies attending to the children have to attend to babies from one day old upwards, and until a proper place is provided for them the work cannot be done as well as it should. The public, who are interested in the welfare of 'the children, and would like to contribute clothes, comforts, toys, etc., are reminded that clothes are needed for children bt-twoeit the ages of five and thirteen years. If one class of article* of clothing is needed more than (mother it is warm jackets and jerseys for children to year in the convalescent stage. All such clothing, etc., should be forwarded to the Mayoress's room in the Town Hall (telephone 2304). Training College Scheme Approved. The matter was taken in'liand by the Mayor (Mr; J. P. Luke), who on Sunday evening forwarded the, following memo, to the Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell):The problem of providing for children whose parents in some cases have died (through influenza and others -whose homes are affected by the illness is urgent. The Citizens' Committee are confident that another home similar to the Miramar Golf one should be established at Kelburn. Tho infant school attached to the Teachers' Training College offers every provision to satisfactorily and efficiently deal with the necessity. I respectfully ask your consent to the proposal. The Minister replied the same evening as follows:— I beg' to acknowledge receipt of your memo, of this evening suggesting that the infant school i attached to the Training College at Xelburn should be used as a children's home. This proposal will receive my immediate consideration, and, if unable to give you an answer to-night, I will do so first thing to-morrow morning. Permit me to express my high appreciation of the manner in which you.and the Citizens' Committee are tackling the many problems arising .out of this visitation. The Mayor said that yesterday the Minister gave consent to the proposal, sjteps had already been' taken to equip the place, and to-day they would be in a position to receive the little inmates. The place would be controlled by Mr. J. 'S. Tennant (principal of the Teachers' Training College), and a competent staff of wonieu would be assembled to take every care of the children. It was proposed that there should be a creche, observation room, hospital, and clearinghouse, and that , once the children were pronounced healthy they would be drafted out to Miramar tnd sucjh other similar homes as might be provided for their reception. Mr. Luke said that the care of the children would be one of the tasks that would come within the scope of the committee's activities after the epidemic abated. Many of the children, some of them babies a day or two old, were orwhans, and steps would have to be : taken later on to place them in suitable institutions where they would be projwly brought up and educated.' They could not go into that phase of the Question" just now, but it was one that they must give ear to when the proner time' arrived. In the meantime there might he those who would be disposed to arlont such children and bring them nn as their own. TJ«der pertain guarantees that nlan might pprhans commend itself to the committee's attention when it was called together to consider the problem.