The Evening Star THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2883, 16 May 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1872.

1 During the last six or seven years the Dunedin Hospital has been made the subject of repeated discussions in the Provincial Council, its constitution and management have been enquired into and reported upon by several select committees appointed by that body, and also by an important commission nominated by his Honor the Superintendent in compliance with the Council’s request. With a view to its improvement, various schemes have been proposed, recommendations have been made, and resolutions have been adopted. And there the matter has ended. As far as we are awai’e, in not a solitary instance has any serious attempt been made to test the value of the schemes as propounded, to carry any of the resolutions adopted into effect, or to render the labors of the commission or committees productive of any practical result. In view of these facts, we think Dr Webster and his friends pursued the correct course in bringing their propositions directly under notice and discussion of the Council itself, rather than making any attempt to filter them through the medium of either a committee or commission. But, while prepared to give some of Dr Webster’s propositions our hearty support, either in their integrity or in a modified form, we forsaw that in the shape in which they were placed on the Order Paper, his object would be defeated by the unusual attempt of unenlightened or inexperienced zeal to accomplish too much. That modifications of the principle upon which the Hospital was originally established, and considerable changes in its management, as at present conducted, must, ere long, be brought about, no one acquainted with the subject, and who has watched the progres of events for some years past, can for a moment doubt. But to attempt at one and the same time to cub off one-half of its revenue and to remodel the whole of its working machinery is quite sufficient to deter all well-wishers of the institution from taking any action to interfere with matters as they now stand. If anyanything effective and satisfactory is to be done by way of reconstructing the machinery, those to whom this important trust is committed, must nob, during their operations be hampered or perchance thwarted, by the additional difficulty of raising “ one-half,” or even “ one-third,” of the revenue “ by voluntary contributions subscribed by the public.” While we are prepared to admit that the two things—a re-modelling of the machinery, and to Some extent a re-adjustment of the weight of its pecuniary support—are urgently required, we are strongly convinced that both will he accomplished, not only more effectually, but even more speedily, by keeping the two operations separate and distinct, and by allowing the former to take precedence of the latter.

Impressed with the conviction we have recorded above, we had recourse to the various reports of the department, as published in the Council Blue Books, in search of arguments by which to enforce it. While so engaged we accidentally hit upon one particular feature in the case, that induces us in the meantime to allow the main subject to remain in abeyance, while we deal with the special phase of it as it now presents itself. Perusing the various reports from the head of the Department, we were specially struck with the very large proportion of the total number of inmates of the Hospital which is set down from year to year under the head of “ incurable." We give the substance of the record as it stands for the last few years, It is as follows :—According to the last report, now on the Council table, we find that out of a total of 116 in the Hospital at the end of the last financial year, 68 are set down as “ curable,” and 48 as “incurable.” The report of the previous year gives a total of 139, and classifies those as curables 77, and incurables 62. That for the year immediately preceding it again, gives out of a total of 141, 79 curables, and, as before, 62 incurables ; while in the year immediately preceding it we find, out of a total of 128, 65 only are recorded as curables, while 63 are entered under the head of incurables. From enquiries we have since made, we have reason to believe that a very large proportion of these poor people are altogether out of place in, and unfit for residence in, a hospital in lacb, that to call them

patients is altogether a misnomer’ They neither require, nor as a matter of fact receive, treatment from year’s end to year’s end, and are retained simply for the purpose of being housed and fed. Fit occupants for a poorhouse or Benevolent Asylum they may he, and undoubtedly are ; but the retaining of them in the Hospital is a three-fold evil. First, it tends to mislead the public, through the medium of the various statistics usually published with the annual report, as in the various tables setting forth the number of “ patients,” &c., these unfortunate creatures now alluded to are included, and so from year to year are carried to account, swelling the total to a considerable extent beyond what they would appear if confined to bmajide patients under actual treatment, and not made to include mere objects of charity. We have reason to believe that, if the whole of those of the latter class safely removable, were removed to-morrow, it would reduce the nurn- ' ber now appearing as incurable very considerably indeed, probably well nigh one-half; and of course the total number of inmates of the Institution would he reduced to that extent. Next the rerention of those poor persona is an injustice to the Government and the Province. In the Hospital they live a life of constrained idleness, which must render them miserable in themselves as well as a burden to others ; while in a suitable establishment the faculties and functions yet remaining to them might be profitably exercised. Some, for instance, have suffered from diseases of the feet, which has rendered them incapable of walking; but in other respects they are well and hearty. Why should not such men be taught some useful occupation—say shoe-making or tailoring, which would be the means of relieving the tedium of their own existence, and of aiding to some extent to defray the cost of their keep and custody. But the greatest evil is that which is inflicted upon these poor unfortunate beings themselves ; and we earnestly commend this view of the subject to the consideration of the Executive and Provincial Council, as to retain such of the so-called incurables as are capable of removal, is to perpetrate' and perpetuate a piece of unwanton cruelty. Let our readers imagine for a single moment the feelings of poor men, who from some such defect as we have indicated above, are unable to get their own living, but who in other respects are hearty and strong, being compelled from year’s end to year’s end to live in the midst of sickness and disease, and nightly to sleep in wards full of suffering humanity in all the stages and under all the phases of the various ills to which flesh is heir to; now in the next bed to a poor creature in the last stages of consumption, whose distressing cough and heavy groans deprive him of sleep ; now a near neighbor to some loathsome disease, inhaling impure odors, and may be the seeds of disease and death ; at all times surrounded by an atmosphere the most distressing to breathe, and in contact with the sick, the dying, and the dead ! How long this state of things is sup’posed to be allowed to continue in any particular individual instance we know not, but believe some of these poor creatures have been under this particular “treatment” even for years - how many we are afraid to say—and they arc still alive ! In the remarks we have already made we have pointed out at least one direction in which a change for the better may be effected, and that without the intervention of select committee or the labor of a commission, and we trust the Government will not delay a single moment to take such steps as may effect an improvraent in tins particular direction.