HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2125, 15 December 1880, Page 3

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

A special meeting of this Board was held on Tuesday afternoon at half-past 4 o’clock. Present —Mr Thomson (chairman), Mr Montgomery, the Mayors of Lyttelton, Christchurch, and Sydenham, Mr Hawkes, and Dr. Turnbnll. The Chairman read a letter from the Government in reference to the late inquiry as follows: Colonial Secretary’s Office, Wellineton, Deo. 11th, 1880. Sir,—l have the honor, by direction of the Colonial Secretary, to forward for the information of the Hospital Board copy of the report of Dr. Skae, the Commissioner appointed by the Governor to inquire into the allegation made that the deaths of certain patients at the Christchurch Hospital, which were certified to have bsen caused by other diseases, really occurred from typhoid fever. lam at the same time to express the wish of the Government that the recommendations made by Dr. Skae in his report as to the duties of the house surgeon may be carried into effect, and the hope that the committee will give instructions accordingly. I have, &c., G. S. Coorsa. The report of the Commissioner was as follows: Wellington, December 6th, 1880. To His Excellency the Governor. May it please Your Excellency,—As Commissioner appointed to enquire into the allegation that one Mary Keetley and others had been admitted into the Christchurch Hospital when suffering from typhoid fever; that no report of their admission had been made to the Christchurch Board of Health; and that Mary Keetley having died of typhoid fever was certified to have died of gastro-entelitis, I have now the honor to report that I have made a full inquiry into the case of Mary Keetley and into the following additional alleged cases of typhoid fever which were brought under my notice by the Christchurch Board of Health and their medical officer, namely, those of George Kirkham, who was said to have died of gastroenteritis ; Archibald McLaren, certified to have died of phronitis; and May Bennett, Polly Norris and Maggie Waldon, and that, in my opinion, althongh there were in all these cases certain anomalies, a careful consideration of the whole evidence renders it impossible to come to any other conclusion than that they were, one and all, cases of typhoid fever, and that Mary Keetley, George Kirkham and Archibald McLaren died of that disease. I would strongly recommend that the Hospital Board should give strict instructions that the house surgeon shall m_ future keep case books in which accurate entries shall bo made in his own handwriting of the history, symptoms and treatment of every case received into the hospital; that he shall carefully preserve all temperature charts; that he shall keep a pathological record into which he shall enter in his own handwriting full notes of all post mortem examinations, and that he shall earnestly endeavour in all cases of patients dying of obsouie or unusual diseases to obtain leave to make a post morieiK examination. Enclosed herewith is a full record of the proceedings of the enquiry, which occupied several days, together with the notes of evidence which I considered advisable to have very complete, and all papers and correspondence bearing on the subject of the enquiry which have been referred to me. I have, Ac., P. W. A. Skae, Superintendent of Lunatic Asylums and Hospitals.

IThe letter and report were duly received. Applications were then opened from medical gentlemen desiring to be appointed on the medical staff of the Hospital, and also for the position of Medical Officer to the Charitable Aid Department. Before proceeding to the consideration of these applications, Dr, Turnbull moved —“ That the appointment of a Hospital staff be postponed for one month, so that the Board may first have an opportunity of carefully considering the report of the Royal Commission upon the alleged false certificates.” He pointed^out that the report made by Dr, Skae contained certain grave charges which might be found to implicate certain gentlemen concerned in the consideration of the appointment of a staff, and this fact should be held to affect the ballot. Besides he thought it was only due to the Government, who had taken some trouble in the matter, that the report of their officer should receive due consideration before making such appointments. Mr Hawkes suggested that the Hospital staff might refuse to continue in office, in which case the Board would be placed in a false position. Mr Brown said he would second the motion if the mover would reduce the time to one week instead of a month. Dr. Tornbnll said he had no objection to amend his resolution. Mr Hawkes again put hi* question. Mr All wright said the term of their office, that is, the Hospital staff, did not expire till the Slat of the month. Mr Hawkes urged that they might resign at once, as they had done once before. Mr Montgomery agreed with the resolution entirely. He thought the should be considered before making the appointment. Mr Allwright oonld not see that the Board would be in a better position a week hence. Mr Hawkes remarked that the Board were on the horns of a dilemma. The question was, were they prepared to take one staff in place of the other ; for they knew very well that the two parties represented by the medical profession in Christchurch could not amalgamate. Dr. Turnbull—Do we know that ? Mr Hawkes—Of course we do. Mr Montgomery thought they should not take any notice of what was said outside. The Chairman agreed with Mr Hawkes. The letter in whioh a number of gentlemen offered tbeir services collectively as a staff was sufficient evidence that they wonld not act with any others than those named. The resolution was then put for postponing the appointment of a staff, and negatived by the casting vote of the chairman. The Board then proceeded to the ballot. The appointments made were: —Medical staff: Drs. Prins, Campbell, Wilkin, Anderson, and Townend ; medical officer to Charitable Aid Department: Dr. Deamer. The Board then adjourned.