MAORIS AND TYPHOID

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 36, 5 August 1911, Page 4

MAORIS AND TYPHOID

TWO PATIENTS OOMPULSORILY ! DETAINED. Same excitement and 110 little amusement attended a happening in Brougham street yesterday afternoon, the principal figures being the acting-district health officer, Mr. C. M. Lepper, Senior-Ser-geant Dart, Constable Liston, and a couple of Puniho natives. It was the first time on record, our representative woa' told, in which the police had been called in by a health inspector to forcibly remove to a public hospital persons suffering from an infectious disease, the power to do so having been conferred by the Public Health, Act, which provides that if a health officer or inspector .appointed under the Act considers that it is impossible for a patient suffering or suspected to (be suffering from an infectious 1 disease to be properly isolated, or supplied with proper lodging, or habitation, an order of such officer to remove such, person to be removed to a suitable place shall be obeyed by any officer of the Department or member of the police force;. •It was reported recently that typhoid fever was rife amongst natives in the Puniho district, and t'iiat difficulty was experienced in dealing with the outbreak, owing to the refusal otf the Maoris to go into the hospital for treatment. At the last meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board, Dr. Valintine, In-spector-General of Hospitals, said the boards had to figilit the Maoris in this matter, and the .sooner it was done the better. Since then Dr. Chesson, Wellington, District Health Officer, has visited the various settlements down the coast, in company with Mr. Lepper. At Puniho they failed to gain admssion to a house in which, typhoid was believed to exist. Mr .Lepper kept himself informed of the doings at the kainga, and learned yesterday that these Maoris were coming into New Plymouth for treatment. He located theon at Dr. Blacklev's surgery, the medico telephoning to him 011 the matter, advising him tlifi t. one was unmistakably suffering froan typhoid and the other apparently so. They were married people, a man and a woman. The doctor was unable to persuade them to enter the hospital, so Mr. Lepper was invited to try his hand at the business. He rang up the police and asked their assistance, and went up to -the scene himself. But he was 110 more successful than Dr. Blacklev, the Maoris urging with great vehemence that one of their people had died in the institution in the previous week'. The Maoris commenced to move off, ilmt at this stage Senior-Sergeant Dart and Constable Liston arrived on the scene. The man concerned was too weak to resist, but he had to 'be rescued from some of his compatriots, who were, dragging liinn away. ScTgeant Dart tackled the woman, but she threw herself 011 the ground and pummelled the sergeant's legs, swearing loudly the while. Constable Liston took a hand in getting the wahine into a cab, and she took off her shoe and would have belabored him with it, but her arm was uinstcadv, iind she was soon hoisted iunto the vehicle, .which drove off amidst, loud' protests from the Maoris left behind. The patients quietened down before the hospital was reached. The other actors in the comedy had to be disinfected be: fore returning to town.