8
REPORT ON THE
13. Particular Diseases.—Cholera showed considerable increase in the hospi--
tals as it did in the town. The proportion of deaths to cases was an ordinary rate.
Small-pox showed the same prevalence and rather less fatality than in the pre--
vious year. Of fevers there were fewer cases, but they were more fatal
than before. This greater fatality fell chiefly on natives of Calcutta, and did
not extend to Howrah, where, however, European cases were more severe, as
they were in the General Hospital of Calcutta. This points to sailors as the
chief sufferers.
In respiratory affections there was but a trifling difference from the previous
year, either in quantity or fatality, and the same is true of dysentery and
diarrhœa. Parturient women were treated in smaller mumbers and, on the
whole, with results somewhat less favourable than those of 1880.
14. Moribund Persons.— The following statement shows the number of
persons admitted in a moribund state, but by no means represents the number
of hopeless cases received into hospital:—
STATEMENT No. VI.
Campbell
Hospital.
Medical
College
Hospital.
Howrah
Hospital.
Mayo
Hospital.
Police
Hospital.
TOTA L.
Total native deaths, excluding cholera
1,361
432
255
233
31
2,312
Moribund persons
175
115
49
73
3
415
Difference
1,186
317
206
160
28
1,897
True death-rate per mille, excluding cholera and moribund
persons.
2 0 6 . 5
133.4
2 3 8 . 4
86.2
10.5
140.5
The true death-rate of native patents, excluding cholera and moribunds,
does not present much variation from that of the previous year. A small net
reduction resulted from trifling increase at the Campbell and Police Hospitals,
and decrease elsewhere.
15. Operative Surgery.—A table has been prepared, similar to that fur-
nished last year, for the purpose of showing in detail the operative surgery
of the several hospitals. This table has now been relegated to the appendix,
where it may be found, if reference to it be desired. For the reasons stated
in my last report and accepted in the Government Resolution on the report,
I offer no analysis of the table, but would point to the course of events at
the Campbell Hospital as a signal example of the fact that surgical statistics of
this kind afford no evidence of the quality or results of practice, being largely
affected by circumstances which have no connection with the latter. In his
resolution on the report for 1879, the Lieutenant-Governor noticed the heavy
mortality after operation at this hospital in former years, of which no explanation
was offered. The subject had, however, been discussed with Dr. Mackenzie,
who had already seen that supervision was wanted over the selection of cases
for operation. The deaths after operation had numbered 236 and 326 per
thousand. In the following years, though the numbers of operations increased
greatly, the death-rates fell to 133.8 and 90.9, the corresponding rates of
the Medical College being 75.8 and 86.3, and at the Mayo Hospital 87.9
and 75.5.
16. The results of operative surgery at the Medical College Hospital
have been for some time past subjected to close examiation. because they had
been supposed in former years to be unfavourable in comparison with other
hospitals, and to be insusceptible of improvement otherwise than by destruction
and re-erection of the hospital. This belief was at variance with the course
of past events in the institution, and opinions differed as to the insalubrity of
the building. The question was referred for minute enquiry in 1878 to the
Hospital Commgittee then sitting, who in reporting proved that the hospital
"could not be rearded as exceptionally unhealthy when compared with similar
hospitals which were not considered so; that as regards its European patients