CONTRACTOR’S SURGEON

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 902, 20 February 1930, Page 9

CONTRACTOR’S SURGEON

AMERICAN’S SPECIAL WORK PNEUMONIA’S BIG TOLL Several big contractors in Pittsburg, U.S.A., engage a doctor permanently to treat any of the Injured workmen. That doctor, Dr. Wallace T. Dodds, is at present in Auckland and will make a holiday trip through the Dominion. He describes himself as an industrial surgeon and on an average treats eight injured workmen a day. No salary is paid him by the contractors, but Dr. Dodds receives a certain amount for every case he treats. During his stay in New Zealand, Dr. Dodds wishes to make some investigations regarding pneumonia, which is a very common thing in Pittsbugh, because of the smoke and grime from the factories there. “The mortality from pneumonia is alarmingly high,” said Dr. Dodds. "Every case must now be reported and a sign is put on the house in which it occurs.” He added that experts were endeavouring to find some way of reducing the mortality, but nothing effective had yet been discovered. The death-rate from pneumonia in Pittsburg among infants and old people was 8 per cent, of all the diseases, but it was also high in all parts of the United States, especially in Pennsylvania. Infant mortality in the United States was low and growing still lower. Dr. Dodds, however, confessed that he had never heard of Sir Truby King, nor did he think that the Plunket methods were used to any great extent in America. During his stay in New Zealand Dr. Dodds will visit as many of our hospitals as possible, particularly to see how accident cases are treated.