THE LATE EPIDEMIC

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 161, 2 April 1919, Page 8

THE LATE EPIDEMIC

j.' FURTHER EVIDENCE BEFORE THE

'"' COMMISSION

DISEASE COMMUNICABLE BY GOODS OR LETTERS

By Telegraph-Press Association. Dunedin, April 1. The Influenza .Commission resumed

!■: its sittings to-day, and tho first witness 1 was Dr. Frank Fitchett, lecturer on i materia medica and clinical medicine, <3tago University'.'. Ho. said that; so far us his observations' went lie would not I use the word septicaemia of any case | lie saw during the epidemic. He would describe the manifestations as the result of a toxaemia, Ordinary febrile types predominated oven during a pneumonia invasion, and many of these cases exhibited . toxaemia without pneumonic '.;■' symptoms. Pneumonia appeared rather as a complication of tho ordinary type. So early as September and October wa6 ; the ordinary opidemio influenza about [. Dunadin, but it was nof till November j that it appeared in virulent pandemio ' form, with virulent symptoms not usu- ['. ally met in New Zealand. He. thought j the virulent form must have been Imr. ported, and that i't came in its -virulent {'■]■ form as a direct continuation of the j. English pandemic. He did not think r, anyffiing had been found to suggest the • •.presence of an additional organism to ' what was found in the previous epidemic. • It was astonishing to find how closely I observations made here accorded with i'> observations made a hundred years ago, f so far as clinical manifestations were I concerned. j George A. I/ewin, town clerk, said that . while tho Act of 1876 provided for local ; - boaroS of health, which was a distinct '"' advantage, the Act of- 1900 introduced I .the Publio Health Department more, i .prominently and made tho Minister eu- !'■" preme. He thought it, a weakness be- ; .cause It introduced the- element of dual ;-' 'control. If the local authority were entirely responsible, he advocated the cre- ; 'Btion of local boards. . Witness thought j . that the Abt of last session was hastily \'' passed so as to emphasise and f ■ eHd to the uncertainty of control. I Dr. Colnuhoun said' the disease was y eonveyable by goods, letters, postal pack- [•-. ets, eto. The most. susceptible ages had : • teen from 20 to 50. In preparing for a'

'possible epidemic, hospital and muni■cipal authorities shouild try to get ac''commodatJoniu open .sheds or tents. The beet defence was sound hygiene, and the public had been - educated to the neces-; sity for this! He condemned public, in-' and the use of masks. The 'former caused', the congregation of large

, numbers of uninfected and possibly inN ( <fected people together. Tho latter,- if i.tbey permitted tho passage of air, also ;permitted the passage of tho minute micro-organisms of influenza, and had f 'the disadvantage of restricting the s-'pply P. of fresh air to the wearer. He did not ! think the Niagara was to blame for. the I. epidemic, since severe oases occurred im- | mediately after her arrival, and before 'r' the period' required for incubation had t expired. A recurrence of influenza was I olmost certain to take place in New |. Zealand, bntifc did not follow that it V- would be of last year's severe type. He j thought a recurrence would r.robably f take place within tho next month, i The Eev. Mr. King advooated an exj tension'of the powers of the local dis- ', trict health officer, who had to refer too j muoh to Wellington. Ho should have ; power, in an emergency, to nationalise j the whole medical and nursing (services ! and apportion any surplus in one 61s- >; trict to another. There should also he I power to inspect and to go into_ houses. J The commission adjourned till Wed- [■. nesday.