Treatment of Consumption.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 7, 19 January 1905, Page 3

Treatment of Consumption.

SUGGESTED ANNEXE AT WAIMA’ffE. MEETING TO >BE HELfi.

At the meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday, in accordance with the Board’s request made at last meeting, Dr. Finch (District Health Officer), and Dr. Unwin (Resident Medical Officer), submitted the following report on the possibility of treating cases of consumption in or near the hospital grounds:—

(1) They considered that the Park triangle was so far from the hospital that its comparative proximity was of no more benefit than if it was several miles away, except that medical supervision could be carried out more easily. It would be necessary to erect buildings for administrative purposes, which would not be necessary if the shelters were in the hospital grounds. In addition, the site was not a very favourable one for the erection of shelters, and they considered it inadvisable to spend money in establishing an annex on a site not as far as possible suitable in every way.

(2) Hospital grounds : After a thorough inspection and consideration of the possibility of using the present grounds they were of opinion that part of the north side of the garden could be shut off, and four or six shelters erected there. They did not consider tha t this would be a permanent or entirely satisfactory solution of the problem, but it would be an improvement on treating cases in the general wards. In the shelters patients of only one sex could bo treated. The site was also likely to be damp and cold in winter, and was too much shut in by trees.. They regretted, therefore, that they could not see their way to recommend the erection of an annex in connection with the Timaru Hospital, as a permanent and satisfactory way of dealing with consumption in the district.

In discussing the report Mr Talbot said the only other thing to be done seemed to be to come to some arrangement to treat oasos at Waimate, where there was plenty of room. Mr Coltman, who was not present, had very strong objections to that, however. The place was most suitable, near the hills, and was within the hospital district.

Mr Studholme said that he thought Waimate was not so strongly opposed to it as the Board had been led to believe; but he thought the matter should be left over till Mr Coltman was present.

Mr Craigie mentioned that Sir J. G. Ward in a recent speech had favoured annexes to hospitals where there was room enough. The Chairman said it was a question as to which of the hospitals in South Canterbury—Waimate or Timaru—was to take all the cases of South Canterbury.

Mr Maslin suggested that the best thing to do would be to make some arrangement if possible with the Waimate Hospital trustees for she treatment of all the cases, if it could be done without menace to the health of the borough of Waimate. It was resolved, without dissent, that the chairman with Messrs Craigie and Maslin be empowered to arrange for and attend a conference with the Waimate Hospital trustees, with reference to the treatment of consumptive cases in South Canterbury, at the annex to the Waimate Hospital.

Dr Finch, having been asked to speak, said that no recommendation had been made in the report because he and Dr Unwin thought the matter should be arranged by discussion. It was obvious that cases could be treated in the institution at Waimate far more cheaply than elsewhere. They could not see any possibility of treating case in the Timaru hospital grounds. There was no medical objection to treating them at Waimate ; they could not prejudice the health of the borough, and the only objections that could be entertained were sentimental ones. In any case Timaru would not send very many cases. On looking up the registers he found that the number of deaths from consumption in this district was about 2 per cent less than in other parts of the colony. There were alternatives to asking for the use of the Waimate annex, such as running a separate institution elsewhere, or co-operating with another hospital district, but either would be much more expens ?e than there was any need for.