INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 204, 4 September 1901, Page 3

INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

PROPOSAL TO HAVE A COTTAGE ERECTED.

At the meeting of the Borough Council last night the Sanitary Inspector reported as follows:

“ I have to report two fresh cases of scarlet fever which have been reported by I the doctors since your last meeting, which have been attended to. I would also draw [ the attention of your Council to the necesj sity of providing" a ward for the reception of" patients suffering from infectious j diseases which the Hospital will not | admit. A housemaid was taken sick and j the doctor called in. He informed the proprietor that she was suffering from scarlet fever. The proprietor of the place gave His Worship the Mayor one hour’s notice to find accommodation, as at the end of that time, she would have to leave the place, but before His Worship could find a place, the cab and girl in it was at his shop door. After much difficulty, and by His Worship using great persuasion, he managed to find a place for the girl to go to, and to be nursed. A similar case like the above might occur at any hour and have no place to go to. I am sure that some arrangements could be fixed at no great expense to meet the demands of those suffering from infectious diseases who have no homo or no friends to take them in.”

j The Mayor said that tho experience , referred to showed clearly that some place ' was needed for the purpose of sending , such a ease to. The house being a public ’ place the proprietor considered it necessary to have tho patient removed as soon 1 as possible. “He came to sec mo,” said . Mr Townley, “ and whilst I was talking the matter over with tho doctor and considering what was best to bo done in the matter tiie cab with the patient arrived at !my door. I had then to go with her, and j after driving about for some time we forI tunateiy got her taken in before nightfall, j and she will he attended to. This ease is settled for the present, but what are we to do in the future ? We might have two or throe cases of that kind, and it would be very difficult to find accommodation for them. The Act is very stringent about matters of this kind. We are leaving jur- ! selves open to a charge of neglect in not providing proper meaus for receiving such eases. This gir] had no friends to go to, and whatever else we neglect we ought j not to neglect having a place for cases of this kind. Wo have been talking over the matter a good deal in the past, but the want has by this case been brought homo to me more forcibly than ever before.” Cr Harding: Have wo the ground on which to erect a place ? The Mayor : We have a section in Roe- * buck Road. The person at present living on it is paying no rent. The building i could bo placod in charge of the Hospital 1 Trustees, and the hospital doctor could i call in and see the patients. When not in ’ use the building could bo left in charge of I the custodian of the Old Men’s Home, t Wc could nit have a better place for the 1 purpose. ( Cr Hepburn : We have a building r already there to suit the purpose. 1 Cr Jones : That will not do ; it will t tumble down directly. r The Mayor said they would have to put t up another building. lie would ask tho l Council to take the matter into considera- t tion, so as to make souio provision for I such cases as that under notice. t

Cr .Tonos : I brought this matter up before and sought to press it on them, but Councillors thought tho matter ought to be delayed. We do not want an expensive building; but do need some place to which a case of this kind could bo taken to. It is far better to get these infectious cases out of houses, especially where there aro children about. One of these cases might decimate the town, and the sooner wo do something in the matter tho hotter. There is nothing on the Estimates for such a work ; perhaps tho best thing wc can do is for a committee to report on the matter as to the best way to arrange for a building. Cr Harding: I do not know why wc should wait any longer for reports. I think that whatever we approve of might be done straight away. Cr Jones : 1 am quite willing to propose a motion, but one question in my mind is whotlior the sito suggested by tho Mayor would bo suitable, seeing that there are so many people living around. There is also the question of money. Tho Mayor: We will have to go without something elso to get this. Cr Jones: I proposo that wo take steps to have a building crocted; but I can seo that there may be objections to tho Roebuck road site.

The Mayor said it should be somewhere near tho Hospital. It might be out of use a good deal, and then could be looked after by the custodian of the Homo. The Council had ample power in the matter, and he supposed would get a subsidy.

Tho Town Clerk: I do not think that we would on this.

Cr Jones : If we gave the money to tho Hospital we could get pound for pound from the Government. Tho Act says “ Hospital, permanent or temporary.”

The Mayor: I second Cr Jones’ motion. Plans for the building can be submitted to next meeting. We want a building of four or five rooms. It is absolutely necessary to do something in the matter.

Cr Hepburn : No doubt. The Mayor : Not long ago we had a case of suspected plague in the town. That the Sergeant took in hand, and the case was quarantined and the people kept in their homo until enquiry from Wclliugtou showed that the case was not plague. Such eases should be provided for. This case has brought it thoroughly home to me. Cr Hepburn said that the easo of the patient under noticewas a hard one. The Mayor : I was surprised to find her at the door. I tried tho Hospital, but neither the doctor nor matron could get her there, Cr Harding : There is no chance of that.

The Mayor : No, thoy won’t take these eases in the Hospital. There was at one time a ward for infectious cases, but it had been removed alongside tho main building and used for other purposes. It had been there for years and not required—he doubted if there had ever been a case of infectious disease in it.

Cr Hepburn said that Dr Valentine had classed typhoid fever as contagious. The Mayor said that was only under certain conditions ; it did not apply to a ward.

Cr Morrison agreed with the Mayor, but he had doubts as to which was the more suitable section. It should be within range of the doctor and of telephonic communication ; it should not bo too for away, nor yet too near to private residences. He thought it would be best if they could got a building in the Hospital grounds, That would be handy for the doctor, also to telephonic communication, and one of the Hospital nurses could be specially told off to look after any case. The nurse would not go back to Hospital duties until after the special work was over. Cr Jones said that the Hospital grounds were preferable if an arrangement could be made.

Cr Hepburn said. tl;at ho was ot the same opinion. There were many people, he said, living in the vicinity of tho Boobuck road site. There was a [good scope of ground about tho Hospital, and the ward could be kept well away from the Hospital building. The Hospital nurses understood what was required, and aid should be available in case of need. There had been a building for contagious diseases in the Hospital grounds, but it had been shifted to the main building. Cr Jones : You are going back to the old ground—why did they shift the fever ward ? The Mayor : That question I cannot answer.

Cr Harding said he did not know what their position was in the matter as hospital trustees, but it would not be \vell to hastily jump to conclusions as to a site. He had thought that a site on the beach would be the best, but it would no doubt be out of the way. “ But,” added Cr Harding, “ as far as nursing is concerned, you will not be able to get any assistance from the hospital. It will never do for a nurse to go backwards and forwards between the two buildings. Then, if we feltinclined to give assistance we could not, for the hospital is generally short-handed; we do with as few nurses as we can.” When the necessity for a separate place had first cropped up he had suggested a

tent on the beach* which he considered better than running any risk in the town. As to the corner site referred to, he thought the time was not far distant when that site could be put to a far better purpose. , . ... Ar Jones said the best thing would be to confer with the hospital trustees in the matter, as to whether the building could be erected on their ground. Cr Harding : I do not know what is the position of the trustees in this matter. Cr .Morrison: Surely they are not going to be hard and fast in a matter of this sort. The Mayor said he did rot see what there was to confer about if no assistance could be obtained from the hospital in the matter of nursing. The borough had their own section on the Waikanae, but the objection to that was that it was out of the way. Cr Harding said that on thinking it over perhaps Cr Jones’s suggestion was the better one, to approach the Hospital Trustees in the matter, but what he had had in his mind was the beach section. After further discussion it was ageed on the motion of Cr Jones, to write to the Chairman oi the Hospital Trustees, asking him to call a meeting of the Trustees to ascertain if there would bo any objection to the erection of the proposed building on the Hospital grounds. Mr Little was instructed to have plans prepared in the meantime for a building of about four rooms and a bathroom