MEDICAL CONGRESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 February 1927, Page 2

MEDICAL CONGRESS.

SEIIIOUS OPERATIONS

[TY TELEGRAPH PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.}

DUNEDIN, Feb. 8

'l'lio Medical Congress was continued to-day. when several educative and valuable papers were read. Pathology and bateriologv, the work carried out at the Walter and Eliza Hill Institute for Research at Melbourne, was dealt with by Dr C. H. Kelleway. Dr L. B. Bull and Professor Burton Cleland, both of Adelaide University, described tlio research work concerned with the various anaemias, particularly pernicious anaemia. Dr G. At. Ileydon, bacteriologist, of the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine in Townsville, although not present, contributed papers, one on the hookworm disease, and the other on tlie discovery by Dt Backhouse and himself of a rare lhike, named the “Paragonimus.” This fluke was productive of illness in the human being, tbe dog and the cat.

On obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Henry Jellctt, of Christchurch( a previous" Master of the Rotunda Hospital, the chief obstetrical hospital in Dublin) read a paper, warning his colleagues against the abuse of the operation of the eaesaeran sections as a means of delivering a woman of her habv. Ho dealt in detail, with all the alleged indications leading to this operation, and he showed how each one of these conditions could he met by other means. Dr A. M. Wilson, of Melbourne. also dealt with the same subject. He cmphasiecl the risk attending on the operation, and pointed out that the risk was greatly increased when complications were present. Professor J. C. Windeyer, of Sydney agreed with Dr Jellett that the caesaren section operation had been grossly overdone everywhere, particularly in America. Dr F. R. Riley, of Dunedin, agreed in the main with the previous speakers, but he recounted the condition under which lie had thought it wise to do the operation. Several other speakers testified to the l act that if ante-natal supervision were carried out consistently, the necessity for submitting women to so risky an operation would disappear. Tuberculosis in children occasioned a long discussion, and the subject of infantile paralysis was thoroughly thrashed out.

Surgeon Commander Dudley gave an interesting account of the means of forecasting outbreaks of diphtheria. He claimed that the spread of infection depended on the relative •amber of immune persons and Hie ltunmr of susceptibles, and he showed how, by a simple ealculaton, be could determine what lie called ‘the her! immunity index.”