PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 October 1921, Page 1

PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT.

CHARITABLE AID BECOMES A LAB MING.

‘•lt is to be hoped that when alter the struggles of years the Department has been adequately staffed and thus given every opportunity of making its inti notice felt the financial necessities of the Dominion will not necessitate aiiT curtailment of its activities, states the bond of the Health Depot tmeiit in opening his annual report. I-Tc goes on to say: ‘’As the matter now stands we have not been able to obtain the staff necessary to carry out the various duties imposed on the Department hy the Health Ad, and in that eonnecton it, is especially regrettable that the Department has not 1. . table wholly to fulfil its obligations 1., local authorities as regards tin- appointment of sanitary inspectors, Tt is hoped that local authorities will recognise this. It. is also to In' regretted that the Dejwirtment- has not been fable to establish additional health, dixit,lets at Invercargill. Nelson mil Hamil'ton, with a medetil officer nl health ill charge, as was originally intended. The report anticipates a modest increase of £20.000 in hospital board subsidies this year while owing to rigid cutting down of all but -ssential works, and the policy of raising the necessary money hy loans, the amount required for capita! subsidies is less hy £IO.OOO than in previous years. ''CHARITABLE AID ALARMING” “The way in which charitable aid is distributed in this country.” states Dr Valintiiie. ‘-makes me feel very uneasy. and hut that tlm time is somewhat inopportune for asking for additional appointments I would suggest that an officer well versed fn the administration of charitable reli’ff should he obtained from the United Kingdom there being very few persons ill this country, fortunately, who have hid an opportunity of obtaining the cxpei ionce nores'llr.v t-> deal with this very complex problem. That the question is an important one is evidenced not imly from the increase ill expenditure hut hy flic fuel that wo have already in this country people of the third (if not the fourth 1 gem-ration -celling and obtaining alms.”

D is considered l>v Die Department that owing to the increased .ti s-• of hospitals by flu- community and the continued high Uriel's, no reduction in maintenance charges can he oxpeefed Lilt for the first time in the Depnrtmnl's liiso-ry a halt is being called in ill,. , osi ~f yew Xonland hospital.-:. DISEASE OUTBREAKS'. Tit,, vcar's experience in re;card to nolifiahh- d.is'-ases is dcsci il,ed h.v tinreport as disappointing. '’l lie outtlaiiding features of the year vie widespread epidemics of inllueiiza, measles and whooping cough, an incased prevalence of poliomyelitis and an outbreak of smallpox in the Otago health district. Though there is a

eonsiderahie deerense in tli" iiumher of notifications ol Scarlet fever and a eoiisideralde deorea.se in notifications ol diphtheria ale notified in this country to make „ne feel satisfied. We seem to know no leoro ot tho causes ol diphtlieiia Ilian was known thirty veins ago. This is most disappointing, especially a„s the same may he said of some other infectious diseases, such as infltiolir.a, imaisles. wlioopiny; eoiipli. etc. ft seems that our only ho]ie as regards diphtlieiia is action based on the Schick reaction and toxin anti-tox-in i.ininunisation. Tho Department Inis this treatment in hand in enmurt ion with epidemics of diphtheria in Canti'i hill y, and the ivults appaient!v jllst if V the 11 ie 11 expectations reported."’ VALUE OK RADICAL

li. guiding cancer a slight drop in the death rat,, is noted, and in view of the recent controversy rcpnnTing the value of radium in r (| ueer treatment the view of tho Diioeloi -( iem-ral of fhe Department is interesting. He says; -‘Though I underslaml the icsulls ol llu' treatllienL are mil as yet ejmvilleini'. there is no doiiht ill,ut - radium is most useful in alh vial ing tile pain of the disease and its pureha.se is justiliahle il only on that account. I understand, however ft oin members ol the profes-umi win, have had .-,insider:»Lie i-xpei i'll, •' in t|,e ns" of radium that to piociro a ■Ullneieut ipialltity lur the poreo*.' of t reat ine ( .aiieer approxim i!ely L'oO.000 worth would he leipiii'd. Some L'.A.I'OO worth of radium was procured for I lie Dunedin Hospital, and as matters now stand it would lie hotter In consent rale on Dunedin Hospital for enrrvino out this treatment, at fitly rate for the present. especially as radium emaiialioii ran lie sent lo any part of I hr riuintrv than to try lo supply all our chief hospitals with this Very expensive mid mysterious element."