Treatment of Consumption.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 10, 26 January 1905, Page 3

Treatment of Consumption.

- 4 ACTION DEFERRED.

The Hospital Trustees met yesterday ; present —Messrs Sinclair (chair) and Hardie, Atwill, Sanders, Walker, Hart, Studholme and Breen. Mr J. Manchester, Mayor of Waimate, wrote: “On behalf of the inhabitants of Waimate I beg respectfully, yet very strongly, to protest against the proposal to have such an institution as an infectious diseases hospital erected at Waimate, and would ask you in all fairness to defer your consideration of the matter until Mr Coltman. Waimate’s representative on the Hospital Board, shall have returned home ; and further, until the local bodies interested consider the i question, Such postponement will also give an opportunity to the people to give expression at a public meeting tc their views on a matter of snch farreaching importance." Mr Studbolme said there was no question of an infectious diseases hospital, it was a consumptive hospital.

The Clerk said it was simply a slip, he referred to the sanatorium.

Mr Atwill said it did not much for the intelligence of th-» Board if it had to wait on cnQ.man to conduct its business.

Mt Studholme said it had been lunderstood that the deputation would not wait on this Board for six weeks..

The letter was held over till the deputation had presented its views. The deputation, consisting of Messrs Talbot (chairman of the South Canterbury Hospital, and, Charitable Aid Board), Craigie (Mayor of Timaru), Maslin affd Dr Unwin, then entered.

Mr Talbot said they were met in regard to the important question of treating consumptives. Hitherto such cases were not considered proper hospital patients, who were supposed to be relieved and sent out to make room for others, but it was impossible to keep them out. They were kept a little time and then sent out to be a source of danger to those with whom they lived. This was a great hardship. In South Canterbury it was a question of treating patients at one or both hospitals or in a separate institution. It was highly improbable that the ratepayers as a whole would back up the erection of a sanatorium. Timaru Hospital had only a limited area of ground and was practically out of the question. The time had arrived when they must do something to relieve the distress and misery of patients ' themselves and the households theft lived with. It was suggested that Waimate having made a start and haW>g a good place, a few extra cases could be more economically dealt with here. The surroundings about Waimate were suitable and there was no danger to the public health under proper arrangements—the great danger was where people were dying in private houses among their own families.

Mr Craigie, Mayor of Timaru, said Mr Talbot had put the case very fairly. If Timaru had the land there would not be the slightest objectiqn to having an annex to the hospital. Sir Joseph Ward said the Government did not favour separate institutions and in any case one would be very costly for South Canterbury. There was no getting away from the fact that for humanity’s sake they must try to treat and stamp out this disease. Waimate people were favourable to treating their own cases, so that there was little more danger in treating 10 than 4 or 5. Mr Maslin said the Hospital Board showed sympathy with the cause in providing for its own patients. If the parent Board was- forced into the position of erecting a separate institution it would come much harder on the ratepayers. An annex in Waimate would guard the health of the community, it would raise the status of the town and place the hospital on a better basis. It would be absolutely no danger to the health of the Borough. Mr Talbot said their financial year ended on March 31st, and they would like a decision before that date. In reply to Mr Walker, Mr Talbot said there, would not be more than 10 or 12 patients from Timaru. The Mayor of Waimate’s letter was here read again. Mr Maslin said it was Mr Manohes-, ter’s characteristic policy of obstruction—delay, delay. He took it that a public meeting would not be in the same position to judge of facts as the Hospital Board.

Dr Unwin then spoke in favour of an annexe at Waimate. There was absolutely no danger. Dr. Barclay also said that treating small numbers there was no danger—it was simply a bogus fear raised about the danger. However, he thought no more than 10 or 12 patients should be treated on the small area of ground. In Waimate tbers had only been an average of three patients per year for ten years.

During discussion it was emphasised that the annexe Would only be for patients who were indigent and could not pay for treatment at their homes.

On the deputation withdrawing it was decided on the motion of Messrs Studholme and Walker, that the mayor be asked to call a public meeting to consider the question of erecting an annexe to Waimate Hospital, for the treatment of consumption, and that a meeting of Trustees be called as soon after as is convenient to inform the Timaru Board of its decision.