12
REPORT ON THE
3 1 .
V e n e r e a l d i s e a s e s .
— T h e s e a f f e c t i o n s s h o w a v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l e i n c r e a s e ,
14,492 cases having been treated in contrast with 13,860 in the previous year.
The excess has been caused by the larger attendance of out-door patients, while
there has been a slight diminution among the in-door patients, from which it
may be inferred that venereal diseases, although more common, have not been of
a severe or malignant type. This opinion is borne out by the fact that cases of
secondary syphilis have been somewhat less frequent, which is an indication
that the worst form of primary sore, viz. the hard or Hunterian chancre, has not
been so prevalent. This, however, cannot be definitely shown, because in the
return as at present constructed no distinction is made between the hard and soft
sore, the two being lumped together under one head, and it would be well if the
classification adopted by the Royal College of Physicians and now followed in the
army were brought into use. By this system a distinction is made between true
and infecting syphilitic affections, and those which, although of a venereal nature,
are not really syphilitic, and do not give rise to those secondary complaints which
produce so baneful an effect on the constitution. It is sometimes difficult to
discriminate between the syphilitic and quasi-syphilitic forms of sore, but an
effort might be made to do so, and the return would then furnish the means
of judging to what extent the true syphilitic diseases actually prevail.
3 2 . B e s i d e s t h e s e c h a n g e s i n t h e r e t u r n , i t i s a d v i s a b l e t h a t i n f u t u r e i t
should be much abridged and remodelled, because in its present bulky form it
defeats to a great extent the object it is intended to serve, and gives many
useless and uninteresting details, which might with advantage be omitted.
33. Dr. Coull Mackenzie, the Superintendent of the Voluntary Lock-
hospitals, has written an elaborate report on the working of these institutions
during the past year, in which he shows in a tabulated form the steady
progress which venereal affections have made among the population since the
repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act in 1883. The statistics which he has
collected from some of the principal dispensaries and hospitals of the town,
where they are treated, go far to support his contention, and it is much
to be regretted that, by the repeal of the Act, the principal means of
preventing their dissemination has been taken away ; but seeing there is
little likelihood in the present state of public opinion on the subject, that
the provisions of the Act will ever again be put in force we must be content
to try and repress the evil by affording to the sufferers from it a ready
means of obtaining early and efficacious medical treatment. I am therefore
not disposed to agree with those who would abolish voluntary lock-hospitals
altogether, but would rather advocate their extension to other parts of the town,
so that they may be easily accessible to those who have occasion to resort to
them.
STATEMENT VII.
ENTERIC FEVER.
REMITTENT FEVER.
1 8 7 1 . 1 8 7 2 . 1 8 7 3 . 1 8 7 4 . 1 8 7 5 . 1 8 7 6 . 1 8 7 7 . 1 8 7 8 .
1 8 7 9 . 1 8 8 0 . 1 8 8 1 .
1 8 8 2 . 1 8 8 3 . 1 8 8 4 . 1 8 8 5 . 1 8 8 6 . 1 8 8 7 . 1 8 7 1 . 1 8 7 2 . 1 8 7 3 . 1 8 7 4 . 1 8 7 5 . 1 8 7 6 .
1 8 7 7 .
1 8 7 8 .
1 8 7 9 . 1 8 8 0 . 1 8 8 1 . 1 8 8 2 . 1 8 8 3 . 1 8 8 4 . 1 8 8 5 . 1 8 8 6 .
Medical College
Hospital.
3 5 9 5 6 6 1 ... 2 . . . ... ... ... 1 1 1 . . . 42 80 86 58 125 95 124 152 164 180 196 150 119 106 92 73 94
Presidency General
Hospital.
15 17 6 11 12 17 18 9 11 6 11 12 1 1017 17 11 45 19 22 10 48 27 39 38 34 49 32 40 45 26 53 75 9 5
Howrah Hospital ... ... ... ... ... .. 4 2 4 2 3 3 ... .. . . .
... 2 16 28 88 146 172 210i 359 393 228 107 77 73 30 82 86 55 3 3
Mayo Hospital ... ...
6 2 1 5 6 . . .
....... ... ... 1 ...
. . . . . .
..
...
. . .
6 15 13 22 35 36 174 224 130 208 221 143 212 210 197 123 9 4
rampbell Hospital 94 86 28 2 ... . . .
. . ..
. .
. . .
181 239 212 405 466 438 432 466 333 354 309 301 322 462 314 316 2 2
Police Hospital ... 4 12 8 11 ... 14 11 2 1 . . . . . . . . .
.... . . . . . . . . .
...
. . . ... . . . . . . . . . 1 ... ...
11 29 28 58 41 52 44 61 64 7 3
Total ... 116 126 53 30 23 43,34 13 18 8 15
1 5 11 20 18 13 290 381 421 731 847 806: 1,128 1.284 918 926 8931 748 780 930 803 706154
5 4 9
3 4 .
E n t e r i c F e v e r .
— N o c a s e o f t h i s d i s e a s e w a s t r e a t e d d u r i n g t h e y e a r i n
the Medical College, and the Campbell, Hospitals. The soldiers in the Garrison
of Fort William also remained free from it. Eleven cases only were admitted
into the General Hospital, and of these three died, or 272.72 per mille of
treated. Two fatal cases also occurred in the Howrah Hospital.
3 5 . I t m a y b e i n f e r r e d f r o m t h e s m a l l n u m b e r o f c a s e s w h i c h h a v e
been admitted into the hospitals that the disease is not at all common in