HUMAN AND BOVINE.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 12, 15 January 1924, Page 4

HUMAN AND BOVINE.

TYPES OF CONSUMPTION. "» NO NEED FOR ALARM. EFFECT OF MILK CONTROL. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.'-) WELLINGTON, this day. Telegraphic reports of the discussion among members of the Christchurch Hospital Board upon the tubercular problem, and particularly the problem of " bone" and " joint"' tubercular cases has awakened interest locally. D r . n* Macdonald Wilson (Medical Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital) j n . formed a reporter to-day that tuberculosis of tho bono and joint is cxtremelv rare in Wellington, it was quite probable, be remarked, that the municipal control of the city's milk supply 4ill make for still greater safety from risk of infection- " There are several forms of tuberculosis," says Dr. Wilson. " but the two forms which chiefly concern us are human and bovine, both of which raav attack human beings. The bovine type •in the main, attacks children, so that any evidences of it are usually shown i among young children in attacks upon the glands of the neck, upon the bowels or in the joints. In this hospital we see very few cases of this type, and, as a matter of fact, it is surprising to doctors coming out from the Old Country that we see so little of it- It is rarely j that we operate for tubercular glands in the neck, and at the present time we have only one case of bone tuberculosis in the wards. That case came in about three months ago. We have several eases that were transferred from the Trentham Hospital, but those are of several years' duraiton- There are four cases of spine tuberculosis, each of them of some years' duration, but there is nothing definite to show that these are not cases of the human type, and not bovine at all. Upon that point specialists are not agreed- All this goes to show, considering the discussion that has taken place elsewhere, that we are lin a position of comparative freedom-" | A question was asked whether it was possible, or probable, that the special j care which the corporation took over I the supply of the great bulk of the milk ] consumed in Wellington was a likely i cause of the city being so free from this i type of tuberculosis. ) ) "' That question cannot be answered I yes or no, as yet," replied Dr- Wilson, ! " for it is, perhaps, too early at present ] to see definitely the result of municipal control, but I do feel this, that in future the corporation will still further reduce the risk of infection. As far as bovine tuberculosis is concerned, there is no need for hte people of Wellington to ' get the wind up/ and it is quite likely that the position will be still better in the future as the result of the council taking the matter up." Asked if there was any reason why there should be so many cases in Christchurch, Dr- Wilson said he could advance no suggestion, "but- it was only fair to point out that it was quite possible that the very considerable amount of propaganda work done down there in connection with the special provisions made for the treatment of tubercular cases of all types had attracted patients there for treatment. Christchurch, of course, had no system of municipal control such as there was in Wellington.