THE EPIDEMIC

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 151, 21 March 1919, Page 6

THE EPIDEMIC

OVERCROWDING IN LODGING HOUSES

MORE ABOUT ALCOHOL

The Epidemic Commission concluded its sittings for the taking of evidence in Wellington yesterday. Sir John Denniston presided, and Mr. D. M'Laren sat with him.

William Alfred Kennedy, Wellington manager of the Union Steam Ship Company, gave evidence. Ho said that the first cases of virulent influenza,known in tho company's vessels in Wellington woro on November 2. He agreed with the generally accepted theory that tho disease was spread among tho peoplo by tho celebrations on armistice (lay. He described the precautionary measures taken for tho protection of tho crews of vessels in port, and he said ho was quite satisfied that the men in the ships contracted the diseaso on visits ashore, and brought the sickness back to the ships. He considered that the Waterside Health Committee had done work of the very highest importance. Indeed, it was his opinion that if similar measures had been promptly taken in the city the spread cf the epidemic might have been checked earlier.

Elizabeth Platts-Mills, medical practitioner in Wellington, said she wished to make some observations as to what she Intel seen in tho epidemic, and to make a idea on behalf of girls employed in tho Public Sorvico whoso homes were not in Wellington. Tho remarks woro not specially applicable to Public Scrvico girls, but to all girls living in lodgings. She wished to impress on tho Commission the absolute lack of suitable accommodation for girls in :lie city, with the result that a very largo suiplus of girls could not get accommodation except in poor quarters at exorbitant rates. Souio had to share rooms with one, two, or three other girls, and they had limited use of kitchen conveniences. In one case she found three girls sharing a room, paying each 12s. a week—3Gs. a week for the room—and they wero permitted only to boil a kettle in the kitcheu. Girls living under these conditions could not be cared for in sickness, and their general health could not be kept good. There was great need for hostels for girls, and they might well be run by organisations which had proved their ability to run hostels. She thought theso hostels should be provided by tho Government or by tho City Council, preferably by the City Council. Inferring to the epidemic she agreed generally with other practitioners who had given evidence on the effect of the sickness generally. She agreed that much of the suffering and death were due to ignorance of the elements of nursing among the people. She had knowledge of cases in which people had the whole services of nurses in their homes, while hundreds of other sufferers could not get one visit from a nurse. When the whole community was suffering no individuals should be able by wealth or influence to get the undivided attention of tho skilled peoplo available. In Karori, where she had worked through the epidemic, patients had done well, and the treatment had been without alcohol. In .only two cases had it been used, and in only one of them had tho patient recovered. In her opinion tho lavish use of alcohol in the epidemic was distinctly harmful. It was used by many a.s a panic remedy, arid it was given to patients who had no symptoms calling for stimulants, but rather with symptoms indicating .that stimulants would do harm. In her experience no bad results had followed tho removal of alcohol. Certainly, heavy drinkers died of the disease, and possibly the ,lieavief mortality among males was due to the fact that males used aicohol more, freely than women as a beverage. Her opinion was t.hrit patients lived often not because of alcohol, but in fpite of it, although she could not deny that it was sometimes useful. Certainly the free use of aicohol tended to create panic. Men who were already in a high fever from influenza, and who ought to have been in bed, sometimes could not bo induced to go to bed because they were intoxicated. Iu this way alcohol made difficulties for those fighting the epidemic. She regretted exceedingly that no women had been rppointed to the Board of Health.

The Commission will not sit further in Wellington at present. •