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THE LATE EPIDEMIC

■ • ___—4 —-—. COMMISSION TAKING EVIDENCE AT CHRISTCHURCH THE VALUE OF INHALATION By Telegraph—Proas Aisooiatloa Christchurch, March 24. The Influonza Commission opened its sittings at Christchurch to-day. Dr. Chesson, Health Officer, stated that the epidemic first came under his' notice in serious form during the first week in November. Prior to this there hud been numerous cases in Christohuroh, but the medical profession did not seem to regard them as much out of the ordinary. They included a numbor of pneumonio cases, but at that stage these were looked on as merely pneumonia, accompanying an ordinary severe attack of influonza. Tho school epidemic commenced ~abbut October 8 and rose lapidly till October 15, when 127 boys were absent. The congregation of people in Christchurch for tho races.caused the rnnid eprrad of' - ' the disease, and fresh infection from other parts of the Dominion, tut it was possible that the epidemio might lave arrived hero had there, been no carnival week. ' Tlio falso armistice news on November 8 upset Christchurch, seriously interfering; with organisation. The people -had not then become impressied with "elm seriousness of things. The total number of cases admitted to Christcliurch- Hospital from November 6 •to December 8 iras 722. The-first death ■in Christchnrch occurred on October 25, and the total of deaths of Europeans in the Canterbury and Westland health district was 897, a rate of 4.13 per thousand of the population. Some people could acquire 'a certain amount of ini■munity from nrevious • attack, whereas others seemed to become' infected- whenever exnosed. There were other people who bad never contracted influonza even in nrovious years, thouirh exnosed to infection. Witness desoribed the relationship of the Department to the local .bodies. ..On occasions by-laws ho hnd ro: commended had'not. been adopted, and he ••considered action should bn' possible to compel tiio adription of by-laws.'. He 'rarely.acted directlv in any question cominp under his notice, but .served his_requisition by. means of recnramendatibnii on the local authority. A .number of local authorities' had tielegnted certain powers to .the Hospital Bonrd, but though theoretically '■ this, should- be a Jnove.in tfhe right direction, in practice it'was;not altogether satisfactory, owing 'to'complications from the legal aspect. W.M'Kinney,. Assistant Commissioner, .'St; John Ambulance Association, 1 staid that-that'body was/.'anxious that the public, should become- educated in home nursing. The association was composed of men and women with a thorough knowledge of nursing, and the services of members were requisitioned at the time of the epidemic. Their servieee at that time were not bo useful. as they might have been, but in' the case of another. epidemic very valuable assistance could-be given; The association'was now • well organised. He recommended ;that the' Government should financially assist ■the association in order that it could send 'out''α-mari to organise sub-centres. Dt. H'.'B. Pearson, bacteriologist at Christchurch Hospital, as his evidence read the comprehensive and interesting paper on influenza which' he gave before tho Science Congress on February 7 last.Eeplying to questions regarding inhalation as a. preventive, Dr. Pearson stressed the need for'ventilation in such chambers,-, and for thorough ventilation after each batch,of people had passed through. Personally ho did not consider the spray efficient.in-driving the germs from the "nose; He particularly stressed the heed for isolation for treatment, and commented favourably on the use of masks. From a diagnosis he had made he had found influenza bacteria .in unexpected places. He had found them in asthma and diarrhoea patients, also in the genital organs of women. He was convinced there must now be a great number of influenza "carriers" about, and they might remain "carriers'; for a very long time. Inhalation might'prove of use in •such cases t but- the trouble was to locate the germs. Influenza organisms were how niuch moro frequently found than before the epidemic. .' The Commission adjourned uititil: to■'morrow."' -•' v -"--' --■•-■■■; ':'"'.''.'.■. .

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190325.2.78

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 154, 25 March 1919, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
634

THE LATE EPIDEMIC Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 154, 25 March 1919, Page 9

THE LATE EPIDEMIC Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 154, 25 March 1919, Page 9

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