CALCUTTA LOCK HOSPITALS.
83
9. The table IV is a return of venereal affections treated in the hospitals during the
year, and table V shews the other disorders which presented themselves during treatment
for the former.
10. The number of deaths in hospital has been very small, and the causes were as
follows:—
Deaths in hospital.
Pyæmia
1
Dysentery
. . .
2
Apoplexy
1
Peritonitis
...
1
Bronchitis
1
Total
. . .
6
Cost of working
the several
establishments.
11. The cost of working the several establishments is exhibited below.* The total
amount is less by Rs. 1,755 than in 1872, and the cost per patient its. 1.5.4 higher. This
increase is due to the heavier cost of diet and extras outweighing the small reductions
effected in other items. I have heard it questioned whether the results of working the Act
were worth the cost exhibited from year to year, but I have found that the doubt arose in
the minds of those who estimated the cost solely by the outlay incurred in detecting and
removing disease distributed as a mean amount among the women treated. Thus one side
only of the account was taken into consideration, and this side represented an imaginary
cost to the state of the disease which had occurred in spite of the work done. It was argued
that Rs. 119 per annum was a large sum to pay for the treatment of a syphilitic woman
for the case, that is, in which disease had not been prevented; but no account was taken of the
money saving effected by the very large reduction of venereal cases in the general hospitals
of Calcutta, of the thousands of cases of disease that had been prevented; 13,083 venereal
admissions in 1867 steadily reduced, until in 1872 they reached 6,529 in the town, were over
.
looked, nothing being carried to credit of Act XIV. If this fact, and the state of the
European garrison of Fort William, be allowed due weight, I think that heavy money cost
will scarcely again be laid to the charge of the Act. Estimated as it has been in some
quarters, the state outlay will appear more and more heavy as work is more and more efficient
and disease more rare. The fewer the women under treatment, the larger will the charge
for each appear, as fixed preventive establishments must be maintained, and their cost distri
.
buted per head, so that a general reduction of proper hospital charges must result in apparent
increase for each person.
12. The most interesting statement that I have to present is that which shews the effect
of the working of the Act on the health of the town and suburbs.
Effect of the Act
on the health of
the town and
suburbs.
Table VI.
Venereal cases treated in Civil Hospitals and Dispensaries of Calcutta, 1873.
MEDICAL COLLEGE.
SUKEA' S STREET
DI SPENSARY.
A L I P O R E D I S P E N S A R Y .
B H O W A N I P O R E
D I S P E N S A R Y .
NORTH SUBURBAN HOSPI TAL.
C H A N D N E Y
H O S P I T A L .
P A R K S T R E E T
D I S P E N S A R Y .
G U R R U N H A T T A
D I S P E N S A R Y .
CHI TPORE
DI S P E NS AR Y.
TOTAL.
N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s .
N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s . N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s . V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s .
N e w c a s e s o f a l l k i n d s .
V e n e r e a l o f a l l k i n d s .
1867 30,553 3,898 8,568 949 5,119 187 6,864 371 879 44 51,116 2,487 30,810 582 23,256 2,824 24,183 1,741 181,348 13,083
1868 31,709 3,424 8,229 931 4,558 146 5,873 244 75S 46 45,613 2,018 28,379 529 22,318 2,407 22,298 1,408 169,765 11,153
1869 32,260 2,541 9,509 969 4,374 121 4,506 260 1,085 39 51,547 1,972 29,780 479 21,984 2,318 22,733 1,374 177,778 10,103
1870 38,041 2,108 9,109 735 4,357 91 4,987 217 597 14 52,129 1,731 30,915 35S 21,058 2,130 20,065 946 181,201 8,339
1871 42,340 1,835 10,761 617 5,146 17 6,153 155 749 17 53,127 1,644 33,599 325 23,727 2,081 25,451 614 201,059 7,305
1872 36,536 1,759 11,274 499 6,213 18 6,379 142 726 24 63,355 1,558 32,203 398 24,042 1,637 25,294 494 206,022 6,529
1873 39,369 1,950 11,420 502 7,102 51 7,796 142 682 28 59,327 1,525 28,046 341 19,513 1,938 23,039 454 190,291 6,931
From these figures it would seem that amidst a general decrease of sickness in 1873, the
former great reduction of venereal disease has not been fully maintained, and it would be
natural to seek the explanation of this in the progressive reduction of the number of women
on the register and the consequently increased proportion of those unrecognized; but the
returns of the several institutions afford, in part at least, a more satisfactory interpretation of
the fact, and leave no doubt that it is mainly imported disease that has increased. Indeed, the
Chandney Hospital returns an increase of imported primary syphilis which alone goes far
tow ards explaining the total rise. In 1872 that hospital returned only 207 imported cases of
primary syphilis and 200 indigenous; in 1873 there were 86 indigenous cases and 524
* Not shown.
Increase of
venerea in 1873.
Causo explained.