NURSING AT PORIRUA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 62, 4 September 1911, Page 5

NURSING AT PORIRUA

Wellington. Saturday. The nursing of the patients in the recent outbreak of typhoid at Porirua Mental llo.spital is the subject of a statement, by the medical .superintendent (Dr. Urey Ilassell), which was tabled in the House of Representative!) by the. Hon. (I. Fowlds yesterday. Dr. Ilassell says thai, the statement of the Ttev. 11. Van Staveren, at a reeent meeting of the Hospital Hoard, that, had trained nurses 'been present nine deaths would not have occurred during the epidemic at the hospital, is a gross and unwarrantable reflection upon him in his capacity as medical officer in charge of the institution. The nurses and attendants at the mental hospital have to undergo a course of instruction, and pass a Stnt» ex iniination i:i nursing and the care of the sick, and the manner in which they discharged their duties during the epidemic gave ample proof of the thorough and cllicient way in which they had been instructed. No mistake was made, and lie is satisfied that the liiirsiiiy of the. typhoid cases was as thorough and etlicient as could have been found in anv public hospital in the Dominion. The proportion of deaths—nine in thirty cases —seemed large at lirst sight, but Dr. Ilassell thinks that -when the ean-s are ana4ysed it is surprising that the. mortality was not heavier, the resistive powers of the patients being very low, in consequence of their infirmities. Of those that recovered. the greater number were of poor vitality and poor resistive powers. The fact, that. 110 bed-sores occurred he regards as a remarkable evidence of efficiency and devotion to duty on the part of the nurses. ".My position as a public servant." adds Dr. Ibissell, "prevents me replying in the, public press to stlcli libellous statements as were made at the recent meeting of the Hospital Board, but I should gladly take advantage of ynur permission to try and obtain redress in the civil Courts." Mr. Fowlds took" the view that the circumstances did not warrant a civil action, but he thought publicity should be given to Dr. Wassail's statement.