HOWRAH GENERAL HOSPITAL. 141
The chief causes of Sickness and Death during eight years are shown below:—
DISEASES.
Treated.
Died.
RATIO OF DEATHS PER 1,000 TO
Treated.
Total Deaths.
E.
N.
E.
N.
E.
N.
E.
N.
Intermittent fever
1,223
609
2
2
1.63
32·8
5·61
2·83
Remittent fever
180
133
36
43
200·00
323·30
101·12
60·99
Ch o l e r a
235
367
100
112
425·53
305·17
280·89
158·86
Phthisis pulmonalis
44
33
14
18
318·18
545·45
39·32
25·53
Sunstroke
. . . . . .
6
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
Pneumonia
14
2
2
......
142·85
. . . . . . 5·61
. . . . . .
Dysentery
474
571
48
128
101·26
224·16
134·83
181·56
Diarrhœa
403
641
21
178
52·10
277·69
58·98
257·48
.
...
...
...
Hepatitis
131
134
31
20
236·64
149·25
87·07
28·36
Other diseases
2,586
2,296
102
204
39·44
88·85
286·51
289·36
Total
5,290
4,792
356
705
67·29
147·12
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
Summary of the
preceding tables.
This statement shows to what extent the few diseases above detailed have
influenced the mortality during the periods noted.
Cholera.—The admissions from cholera during the past year have been
very few and the death-rate small. The success, or otherwise, attending the
treatment of this disease depends much upon the stage at which patients are
sent into hospital. If seen early, recovery is comparatively frequent, whereas
if they are brought for treatment when the stage of collapse has fairly set
in, recovery is not to be expected. If reaction does take place the subsequent
congestive affections are greatly to be dreaded. Of these, the most dangerous
are secondary fever and uræmia. As a rule, the cases admitted have been
sailors sent from ships lying in the port, who have undergone treatment on
board until urgent symptoms declared themselves when they were sent to
hospital under the most unfavorable auspices. In the case of natives, the
majority of cholera patients are picked up in the streets and roadsides, and are
brought to hospital when recovery is out of the question. Many of them had
already passed into a stage of collapse before reaching hospital, and the
functions of the vital organs had become embarrassed and deranged to such an
extent as to render reaction hopeless. The majority died within a few hours
after admission.
Cholera. Advantage of early treatment.
Dysentery.—Cases of uncomplicated acute dysentery, when seen early, are
generally amenable to treatment by ipecacuanha in large doses, but when the
disease has been neglected at first and has advanced into the chronic stage, or
is complicated with scurvy or abscess of the liver, it is a most unmanageable
and dangerous malady. The ratio of deaths to treated has amounted to 95·23
per thousand in the European, and 325·30 per thousand in the native department.
Dysentry.
The admissions from diarrhœa were numerous, particularly in the native
wards. Hepatitis and splenitis have been frequent complications of remittent
and intermittent fever occurring among natives during the last six months of the
past year. The former affection generally ends in resolution, the latter is more
or less permanent, and in many instances the spleen attains an enormous size.
D i a r r h œ a , h e p a t i t i s , s p l e n i t i s .
Endemic fever in all its different phases and stages has been exceedingly
prevalent during the latter half of the year, especially among the native
Malarious fever.