TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1900.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 145, 15 May 1900, Page 2

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1900.

THE Licensing Act of 1881 gives the Magistrate power to send prisoners to any hospital or medical infirmary for treatment. The admission of inebriates requiring medical treatment to the Christchurch Hospital has "been causing discussion for some time and we learn from the Lyttelton Times that, on baturday, a deputation from the hospital waited on the Minister of Justice, and a satisfactory solution of the difficulty is likely to be the outcome. The deputation asked the Minister to relieve the local Hospital , Board of all responsibility in such cases. The spokesman, Mr Acton Adams contended that there was no room in which persons suffering from the effects of alcohol could be treated, and that they had to be placed in the wards, where they might do serious injury to other patients, and where they were tended only by women. Dr Crooke quoted instances where inebriates had threatened to get beyond control, and th« evidence was all in the favour of the statemenf that the hospital had no facilities for the treatment of cases of this nature. However, the deputation was not very happy in its choice of suggestions of ways out of the difficulty. Mr Acton- Adams seriously gave as his opinion that there were sufficient conveniences at any Police Station to deal with the cases, and any station was a proper place to take prisoners to, who were remanded for medical treatment by the Magistrate. He surely didn't mean this, or think that a padded cell wis the place for a sick man, or that dainties as cooked by the cooks for the prisoners, were suitable for his state. He admitted that it was only recently, since the disastrous results, which followed the neglect of several cases, that prisoners had been sent to the hospital. No doubt our readers will still remember several cases which terminated fatally in gaol, when, if the sufferers had had proper treatment, life would almost certainly have heen saved. Ths gaol is no place for such cases, for one reason that a doctor is not always on hand. In large hospitals, on the other hand, a doctor is always in attendance^and other facilities exist which are never dreamt of in a gaol. Then another suggestion was made to consign such persons to the lunatic asylums. This would be worse still, partly because these institutions are full enough already, and partly because the asylum taint would cling to a man all his life. Delirium tremens da undoubtedly madness, but not the* madness for which we keeplunatic asylums. Mr M'Gowan himself declared .that " everything pointed to the fact that there should be some other institution, which the Slate haw not yet provided, for the treatment of nuch cases." Perhaps, now that the Minister has admitted the need, he will set about providing the institutions. Evidence of the need of some special institutions for the treatment of drunkards is now forthcoming, and it is for the Minister to set the machinery in motion to provide such institutions. Parliament, we are sure, will be only too willing to grant the necessary

qxmey, but some time roust elapse before the necessary formalities ire gone through. But, meanwhile, men cannot be allowed,' o die through want of care, even if they are drunkards, and we think, with Mr McGowan, that till proper arrangments are-made to deal 'vith these poor unfortunates, the hospitals are the proper places for them. »>** •