Obstetric ward.
Mortality.
Confinements.
Children treated.
Ophthalmic ward.
Dispensary practice,
Medical and
surgical.
Minor operations.
Dispensary for
women and
children.
Ophthalmic
dispensary.
•
Dental dispensary.
24
REPORT ON THE CALCUTTA MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS.
building in a city atmosphere. After describing the success with which he for a time treated
wounds nearly upon Lister's principle;" he says:—"After about six months there came into the
hospital, and, from inquiries made at the time, I concluded that a similar condition prevailed i
n
most or all of the London hospitals— a very unfavorable change. Erysipelas and its concomi
-
tant, pyæmia, began to show themselves—the former not springing up in the hospital itself,
but imported with patients. The wounds began to suppurate more, primary healing was less
common, and the erysipelatous blush appeared with blameworthy impartiality in cases treated
in all kinds of ways, and almost as impartially on my own antiseptic side of the hospital as on
my colleague Sir William Ferguson's non-antiseptic side."
It is very interesting to notice how, in the hands of this London surgeon, osteo-myelitis
reappeared at an unhealthy season under the antiseptic treatment precisely as it did with us.
"I had one case of amputation of the thigh for a tumour of the lower part of the femur in
a man about sixty. I treated it by Lister's method carefully carried out, and from beginnin
g
to end there was very little discharge and no putrid or offensive smell whatever; but the woun
d
would not heal, the end of the bone remained unadherent and devoid of granulations, and
the man lingered for two months in a declining and emaciated state, and finally succumbed to
chronic pyæmia."
It is the misfortune of the young hygienist, as it is of the inexperienced therapeutist, to
reap disappointment from relying too hopefully upon the power of new measures. Expe
-
rience of hospitalism teaches us to employ against it every means which science affords us
most steadily, but not in a too sanguine and confident spirit, living in constant preparation
for the brunt of what have recently been well-termed "the storm-like and spasmodic assaults
of epidemics" which are still capable of paralysing the exertion of our best prophylactic
science.
OBSTETRIC WARD-WOMEN AND—CHILDREN UP TO THE AGE OF SEVEN.
The number of patients treated in these wards was 943, against 1;063 in 1872, 745 in
1871, 747 in 1870, 662 in 1869, and 774 in 1868.
There were 69 deaths, or 73 . 17 per thousand, against 65 . 8 in 1872, 80 . 53 in 1871,
74. 96 in 1870, and 84. 59 in 1869.
The number of confinements was 216, against 191 in 1872, 146 in 1871, 139 in 1870,
and 149 in 1869.
The number of children treated in these wards was 247, of whom 29 died. Of the
women confined, 19 were Europeans, 65 Indo-Europeans, and 132 were Natives.
OPHTHALMIC IN-PATIENTS.
The number of patients treated in the ophthalmic hospital was 545, against 535 in 1872,
507 in 1871, 527 in 1870, and 494 in 1869. The number of cases "cured" was 298,
"relieved" 127—making 425 which were benefitted.
DISPENSARY PRACTICE.
Medical and Surgical Out-door Dispensaries.
In these dispensaries 24,758 persons were treated. Of these 14,340 were medical, and
10,418 were surgical cases; and relief was given to 845 persons in the admission room.
In the preceding five years the numbers were 24,644, 26,254, 23,082, 22,557, 20,477.
The resident surgeon performed 1,553 minor operations, against 1,301 in 1872,
1,348 in 1871, 1,964 in 1870, 2,216 in 1869, and 1,311 in 1868.
Dispensary for Women and Children.
The cases treated were 13,766, against 11,892, 12,049, 10,982, 9,703 and 11,232, in the
five preceding years.
The minor operations were 421, against 512, 229, 376, 389, 362, and 540 in the six
preceding years.
Ophthalmic Dispensary.
Years.
Number of
cases treated.
1869
3,367
1870
3,497
1871
3,963
1872
3,981
1873
3,742
Dental Dispensary.
There were 850 patients treated during the year, * against 1,047 in 1872, 1,184 in 1871,
1,261 in 1870, and. 1,346 in 1869. The number of operations performed was 709.
* This number is exclusive of the patients treated in January 1873; the returns for that month are not available.