2
REPORT ON THE
4. The institutions under report are named in the following table :—
STATEMENT NO. I.
1879.
1878.
MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS.
PERSONS TREATED.
Died per
mille of
treated.
PERSONS TREATED.
Died per
mille of
treated.
In-door. Out-door. Total.
In-door. Out-door..
Total.
1. Medical College Hospital
4,814
51,208
56,022
130.27
5,148
48,986
54,134
135.59
2. General Hospital
3,115 ......
3,115
45.58
4,280
......
4,280
35.51
3. Mayo Hospital and Dispensaries
2,045 176,814 178,859
139.36
2,127
188,637 190,764
138.69
4. Campbell Hospital
8,293
......
8,293
260.09
11,001
......
11,001
253.61
5. Municipal Police Hospital
*2,683
. . . . . .
2,683
13.41
3,396
......
3,396
9.12
Total Calcutta Hospitals
20,950 228,022 248,972
155.62
25,952 237,623 263,575
† 1 5 3 . 1 9
6. Howrah General Hospital
1,770
14,276
16,046
2 3 8 . 9 8
238.98
2,502
20,405
22,907
250.89
G r a n d T o t a l
2 2 , 7 2 0 242,298 265,018
102.2
28,454 258,028 286,482
161.88
* Excluding 38 cases returned with no appreciable disease.
†Last year 149'96 was incorrectly shown.
The total number of in-door patients treated in 1879 was less by
5,734, and that of out-door patients by 15,730, than in 1878. Of in-door patients
the Medical College Hospital showed a reduction of 334, the General Hospital
of 1,165, the Mayo Hospital of 82, the Campbell Hospital of 2,708, the Police
Hospital of 713, and the Howrah Hospital of 732. The General Hospital had in
former years been the resort of a large number of persons whose admission
was quite unnecessary. To the correction of this abuse of State charity, the
Superintendent in 1879 resolutely applied himself, with the result presented
in the figures. The same policy was adopted in the Howrah Hospital.
5. Of out-door patients the Medical College showed increase of 2,222,
the Mayo Hospital, &c., decrease of 11,823, and the Howrah Hospital decrease
of 6,129.
6. The figures given in the table for the Medical College Hospital are
wrongly described as " persons treated." The out-door patients entered are only
new cases, and to them should be added the cases remaining from the pre-
vious year to make a true return of persons treated. The figure for the Mayo
Hospital is a correct total as it stands, as is also that for the Howrah Hospital.
Similarly, the " total number of out-door cases treated " is given in another part
of the Medical College report as 149,073. This is not a number of persons,
but a number of attendances, in which most of the persons figure several times.
It is the figure for estimating average attendance and work done, but has no
relation to persons. The corresponding figure for the Mayo Hospital and
dependencies is 538,740, and for the Howrah Hospital 48,910.
7. That an explanation of the diminished numbers is afforded by the
marked improvement in the public health of the town there is no reason to
doubt. The effect is seen in all localities, but most largely of course in those
institutions where numbers are highest. The only special circumstance to be
noted in this connection is the proper restriction of admission to the General
Hospitals of Calcutta and Howrah, and the abandonment there of the erroneous
idea that it is necessary to keep the wards of a public hospital full, whether
applicants for admission do or do not require to be treated as in-patients. The
restriction now practised is confined to residents of the town. It is, and will
continue to be, necessary that cases of slight illness be received into these
hospitals from the shipping, as seamen have no homes on shore.
8. Race and sex of patients treated.—The next table exhibits the race and
sex of adults and the number of children treated in 1879 :—
STATEMENT No. II
Total for
1878.
Males.
Females.
Children.
Total for
1879.
Europeans
10,350
5,780
1,342
1,983
9,105
Eurasians
31,917
9,975
6,724
13,555
30,254
Mahomedans
94,161
51,819
10,278
26,821
88,918
Hindos
137,920
85,262
17,561
20,165
122,988
Other races
11,582
3,196
2,998
5,635
11,829
Total
285,933
156,032
38,903
68,159
*263,094
* Exclusive of 1,921 cases treated in the Dental Dispensary, Medical College Hospital, particulars of which had not been received.