HOWRAH GENERAL HOSPITAL.
143
I am unable to account for the steady decrease in the number of in-door
patients since 1869.
Decrease of in-door patients.
As regards seamen it may be partly due to the fact that many of them,
instead of remaining on board their vessels, now live at the sailors' home, and
find it more convenient when they fall sick to go to one of the Calcutta
Hospitals than to cross the river to Howrah. The Howrah Institution might
well be utilized as a special hospital for the accommodation of sick seamen.
Causes.
The falling off in the number of admissions from the staff of the railway
employés is no doubt due to the fact that a large proportion of the men
who were formerly located in Howrah have lately been transferred to Assensole,
where a medical officer is appointed in charge of them. Nearly the whole of
the Locomotive Department has been removed during the past year from
Howrah to Assensole.
The decrease in admissions of private patients may be accounted for in one
of two ways, either that the public health has improved, or owing to the
recent changes of the medical staff in connection with this establishment the
institution is less popular than it was during former years. It is still the fact,
however, that a large number of persons seek admission from stations situated
at long distances up the line of railway which speaks well for the popularity
of the institution. It is also of the utmost service to the inhabitants of the
station, to the sailors of the port, and to sick persons coming from. stations up
the line on the staff of the East Indian Railway Company.
The following table shows the out and in-door attendance of Europeans durin
g
each month of the last nine years indicating a steady falling off since 1868 :—
A t t e n d a n c e o f p a t i e n t s d u r i n g t h e y e a r s 1 8 6 4 - 7 2 .
YEARS.
1864.
1865.
1866.
1867.
1868.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
Months.
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n- door .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
I n - d o o r .
O u t - d o o r .
January
30
255
67
693
44
481
27
335
36
451
69
342
59
465
38
251
35
273
February
29
260
53
631
42
457
28
295
40
440
53
322
59
399
31
229
35
326
March
41
246
60
567
66
338
43
419
53
508
61
429
44
423
27
218
34
412
April
37
221
50
641
71
450
44
470
44
501
68
456
38
287
50
176
32
469
May
55
325
60
478
82
643
54
439
48
582
86
480
64
324
45
194
53
338
June
31
380
83
367
94
478
34
344
52
468
56
427
68
315
53
186
47
279
July
63
688
66
427
93
728
84
406
5 8
494
99
534
63
375
43
278
54
341
August
57
600
68
437 101
705
84
570
65
494
86
605
61
407
66
255
73
579
September
47
578 84
415
74
598
64
505
60
536
99
568
70
317
44
256
53
528
October
84
591
75
441
56
479
67
450 101
518
76
544
52
254
51
228
53
513
November
88
611
55
444
61
495
59
446
74
448
35
451
59
306
59
309
49
505
December
88
613
56
465
49
400
46
427
63
401
53
454
35
259
48
292
48
518
TOTAL
650 6,368 777 6,006 833 6,252 634 5,106 694 5,841 859 5,612 672 4,131 555 2,872 566 5,081
Operations.—Thirteen capital and 374 minor operations have been performed
during the year. Of the former, thirteen were rendered necessary by accidents
occurring on the line of railway and elsewhere, of these four were successful, two
remain under treatment, and seven died. The causes of death were pyæmia 2,
dysentery 1, gangrene 3, exhaustion 1.
Operations.