TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTIVES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 139, 21 September 1910, Page 5

TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTIVES

A COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME. IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS. By Telegraph. —Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. At a meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to-day, Dr. Hardwicke Smith, medical superintendent, said he had been in communication with Dr. Valintine, Indpectoi-General, and the following scheme had. betm suggested for the treatment of phthisis. He thought the scheme would commend itself to the Board for its simplicity, its efficiency and ease with which it could be worked from both medical and financial standpoints. (a) Compulsory notification of all phtfoysical cases; (b) establishment of a dispensary to deal with all tuberculous cases as an adjunct to the hospital—<( 1«) ,the dispensary .to be under the control of the board, (2) all cases to be notified to the Health Department, (3) when necessary, treatment by tuberculin injection, (4) drafting of case 3 to sanatoria, etc., (5) treating cases in patients' homes if they are sanitary and cases are in a very .early stage. In connection with this, district nurses are to be appointed, who will visit and be in touch with the patients, and instruct them how to live in their homes; (6) distribution of literature on the subject of the disease and its infection, means to be taken to see that the advice is carried out. (c) Sanatoria for early eases; (d) hospital sanatorium for late cases (chronic), all such cases to be isolated. It is a recog-nised-fact that a patient dying at home will practically always pass on his infection to at least one individual, (e) Farms and outdoor work for cured casts and for convalescents and patients suffering from other chest diseases. The Board approved of the scheme, and asked Drs. Valintine and Hardwicke Smith to prosecute the subject further.