THE Waihi Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1904

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1165, 8 December 1904, Page 2

THE Waihi Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1904

Horn sbnll tho Vnw tin I'euiib'. Itiflit m unli Un»»cd bj iiiHiioriflf uni nuwiliwl I.; ijmn j More |«trlot Truth Imr y :,.. i, girancpt.i iirr,k l'ledttd to llilii(ioi) [.ilurtj. m,(l I,» v

AN apppalling elate of tilings is revealed by tlm Commission appoinleil to inquire into I lie affaire of tin; Auckland hospital. The rpporf, though elaborate, is very char, iimlwillno doubt bo carefully considered by all concerned. The bulk is taken up with suggestions that the Hospital Board should bo separated from tin Charitable. Aid Board; that thoHospital Board should bo elect', d on th; Name prin- i oiple as the Education Board—three members retiring annm.lly instead of election of the wholft Board every year; butler light in the operating room; a lift for (akin; patients to the upper storey insten' of by oariy. ing, them, as at present; compelling pationta to pay according to means;

better sanitary conditions; and that, the matron should inspect the hospital food. But the raattor which most concerns the public is not whether a lift is better than carrying, or whether the operating room is out of date, but rather what is done wiih patients when they get to lh" hmnital. Lst the report speak. Here are several cases. '■ A limn named Collioun states tint he arrivtd :it the hospital about midnight on Suuii dale in February, 1903, with i\ broken arm. There should have been tlir. o lUi'dioul man on the promises, but none cawo to see him. His arm was fixed up by ii mirsu for the night Nox'i morning Dr. Collins and Dr. Williams examined hiii, went away, and left the two juniors, Drs, Horsfall and Henncti, to set it, Thoy did so, and Dr. Horsfnll attended to th'o arm until tho bone had united. Then Dr. Collins examined tho arm, and found it had to bo broken again, nnd it was broken accordingly."

We quote another : '•William Allen arrived at tho hositiil will) a broken arm on February 18th, 1903| at a quarter pass ten n.tu. Ho endeavoured to get a doctor, but nono came to examino him until half-paßi one. Then Dr Collins rainmed tho arm, and sent him upstairs lo bed. Tho arm was sot oy the two juniors, Drs. Horsfall and Bennett, Ten days afterwards i>, was. '• taken down" and rc-neiby Dr Horsfnll, assisted by a nurse. This second setting whs uLo 'a failure, Allen had to rotnrn to the Tiospt.. tal, nnd then to undorgo nnothor operation, Ilia arm is not strong now," Yet another:—g

" John Donald MoLood was admitted into tho hospital on Saturday, February 20, 1904, Buffering from a broken thigh. Tho accident happened at tVaipu on February 18. The limb was temporarily dealt with by a local doctor, who ordered him lo the hospital. Ho was admitied between tlvo and six in tho evening, on Saturday, Fobruary 20, and the limb was not attended to until the following Monday, when it was set by Dr Bennett, ouo of thejunior residents, who put on a Liston splint. The broken thigh was not examined by the sonior medical officer until a fortnight after the adunssion of tho patient, From that period the fracture appoars to have been properly attended to. Tho result of thb case is that tho fractured limb is crooked, and is shorter than its fellow."

Still another :

" William Penko was admitted inlo the hospital on January 81, 1903, suffering from a fracture of both legs and a fractured jaw. The caso was admittedly a serious ouo, The broken jaw, which appears to have given much trouble, was sot by a junior resident (Dr Horsfdl), tho senior modicnl officer ordering iho charge nutso of the ward to tell Or Horsfall to put the jaw in splints, Tho patient was in tho hospital for six months, when, being 'dig-' satisfied with his treatment, he loft, and went iuto a private institution. He states that n short timo beforo loaving die hospital, he was informed by tho senior medical officer shut the fractured limb whs uniting, and that he proposed to put the leg inio plastor o! Paris. On bis entering a private hospital it was found necessary to remove a quiiiuijy of dead bono beforo tho fracture could possibly unite. This appears to be one of theso oases whore an iuimediato operation was absolutely necessary, and one in which every effort should have been made to procure tho attendance of some member or mombers of tho hono rary stuff to operate. We are by no means satisfied that such steps were taken The operation was performed by tho senior inedicnl oflleer, assisted by tho junior residents, Drs Bennett and Horsfall, Tho esse should, under rule 73, havo' been placed under tho chargo of the honorary staff. It was a caso requiring serious operative interference, and as such the solo treatment and responsibility did not under that rule rest with tho senior medical officer. Tho patient complained of ihj food served to him, and also states that the visits of the sonior medical officer were irregular and infreqtiont. It is perfectly clear to us from tho ovidonce that tho operation for tho removal of doad bono, which was performed at the private hospital, should havo been performed at tho public hospital three months beforo tho patient left it."

It will be seen that all except one of these operations were performed by the junior resident doetois. We presume that both are qualified men. If they were not qualified they would scarcely be there As juniors they are naturally controlled by the chief medical officer, and being residents they are not on the honorary staff, It is an open secret that for some time the feeling of the lionoraries towards the chief medical officer, and of that officer towards the lionoraries, has not been very cordial. Now, the question is this': If the two juniors had been mem Ivrs of the honorary staff instead of resident doctors, and as members of the honorary stuff nad made these mistakes, would the public have heard about the mistakes ? The Commissioners recommend that as " the present system, under which a senior medical'officer lias supreme command of the hospital, having utterly failed, it appeurs to us advisable to recommend the adoption of that which is usual in most central hospitals, namely, the appointment of two junior surgeons and one physician, who should bn unmarried, and should reside on the premises, and should be subject in all meilical and surgical matters to the honorary staff. The latter should perform all important operations, saving only those of emergency, i.e., those that require instant treatment," But is this any guarantee thai fewer mistakes would hanpen ? It has yet to be shown that tho avera«o honorary surgeon is more care fill or has greater skill than a paid resident. Doctors, whether honorary or paid, make mistakes. We all know that. Deformities due to unskilful operations are to be seen in all parts of the world, The operations quoted go back for two years. If a change takes place such as recommended, and the , operations are given to the honorarien, and a commission unexpoctotlly nits two years hence and sifts out the facts, it will not surprise us to hear that blunders have still been made and dutyoTerlookeu. Of the medical superintendent, whose skill as a doctor has been reputable, the report stales thai be has made mistakes, and at times [ has not been nHsiduons If the superintendent goes, and another of repute is appointed, is there any guarantee ihat the mistakes will be fewer and the assiduity lesi ? Also, is there any gumantee that if errors iit'o committed the public will not have to wait for the facts until the chief falls out with the lionoraries or the lionoraries with the chief, and the lionoraries ask for and got a com.

mission of inqniry? It is singular ~,at 'li« mistakes of nearly two years ago were not revealed till the recent inquiry. Is this to the credit of the honorary staff oi'otherwise? It is seldom that doctors quarrel, but when they do the Public gains knowledge, It is about I be only f j me they do. It is then Imt m(!| lical etiquette is thrown to the winds, and mistakes are laid bare that otherwise, by reason of the eti. quelle would perhaps be unheard or. Tim Commission has shown that those blunders occur. It has not shown how lo sivrl them. No Commission or prrpon can.

_ Attention is drawn lo Mr. I'. -71.- Marriott's advertisement, nn our first p(l . :n „, roferancotna hi? reduction imhe prices ofgoodsßtiitabloforfilnislniitaprcsenH.

The Library Commiitoo of the Waihi Borough Council have, just made an addition of over 220 volumes to the public library. The books are now on issue, nnd are much appreciated bv tho subscribers.

Mr G. 11. Aimstrcng invites tenders for removing from Wnitckauri, nnd re-erecting atWaikino, ii shop, bakehouse, and other buildings. Tenders may bo left at this office up till noon of Monday next.

It is stared that when tho railway to Waihi is an accomplished fact a number of those at present living wiih.n the shade of the Martha reef contemplate building at To Aroha, and travelling bnckwnrdj and forwards lo their lnb.-iurs.-To Aroha No',vs,

The fourth "At Home" in connection with tho 'Presbyterian Church is to be hold to-morrow night at the Foresters' Hall, when a special invitation is ncojrdod to new comers to the district as well as to all old frionds.

The following oloven has been selected to represent, the Suburbs Senior Cricket Club next Saturday on the loci recreation reserve, No 1. pitch :-Mannin»s, Duff, Oonitliw.uto. Holmes, Tumor, Williuns, Wallnutt, McLennan, Snllon, Johnson, Conits,

Christehiirch reporters hod nn unnsnnl experience recently. The Premier had received a deputation of nhopknepers, and replied at great leiislh, He then re-civcd another deputation immediately aftor, and, as one surprised reporter put it, wher. ho came to speak again his voice scarcely rose above a hoarso whisper. Tho reporters, seated a few yards away, had extroino difficulty in following his remarks. Tho following players will represent the West Cricket Club in their innHics on Saturday;—Sonior.q against Wnikino.Donohuo, Lang, Meyers, Ryan, Wilson, Hnlanr, McLeod, Dare, Oulhi, Cameron, Gable, Tho coach leaves Meyer's Hotel at 2,30 sharp, Juniors ajuinst Suburbs Juniors -Carter, Walters, Farrow, Fuge, Woodward, Howarth, Goodwin, Hollis, Qninn, Rohan, Pascoo. Emergencies: Irwin, Murphy, The following facts illustrate tho marvellous advanco in thoscienco of mechanical engineering in recent periods, One ton of engine to-day does the work of eight to ten in tho time of Wait. Ono pound of fuel or steam to dav gives ten times the power formerly obtained from it. A half ounce of fuel on board ship will now transpo t a ton of cargo over a mile of ocean, It is now possible to carrv news tho Atlantic 2200 tons of freight with 800 ions of coal, when in 1870 it was only possible to carry 800 tons of freight with 2200 tons of coal.

A novel proposal is mado ii connection with tho tiro which recently swept away the township of Collingwood". It is that it should not bo rebuilt; that the inhabitants should select another sito. It ism-god that the town is, or was, too far from tho mines, which are its mainstay; that its situation is exposed togales.andthatitisinacessiblo by steamer at low water There are, it is stated, places in Golden Bay which "fi'l the bill" bettor than that at Collingwood, and tho people would bo muoh more prospered if tho flitting wore mado. Philip Woinseimor, the successor to '' Sam " Parks, tho President of the Building Trades Alliance in Now York, who died in tho Sing Sing prison, is now on trial on charges similar to those which resulted in tho conviction of Parks. Ac cording to the testimony of the eoni traders, Weinsemier was quite as oxtortionato as Parks in his demands. Ono contractor stated that (Voinsoimor hod found that certain work would result ic a profit of 10,000ilol (12000), and thereupon declared that if ho did not rood ve a quartor of that amount he would call a strike Another contractor gave evidence that Woinseimordomnnded 3000dol (£600) for preventing a etriko, remarking, " I am not in this labour business for love,"