3
CALCUTTA MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS.
11.With regard to the closing of the Mayo Institutions on Sundays, I do
not think a change of this kind should be introduced without the sanction of
Government, because it is obvious that if each institution in Calcutta is worked
on a system of its own in regard to the hours and days of attendance, much con-
fusion will occur in the annual statistics, and all useful comparison will be
impossible. Similarly at Howrah the Superintendent of the hospital there
(Dr. Matthew) thought proper to refuse medicine and attendance to well-to-
d o o u t - p a t i e n t s ; a n d a l t h o u g h s o me s u c h r e s t r i c t i o n o n t h e a t t e n d a n c e o f p e o p l e
of this class is much to be desired, the change should not be introduced without
the sanction of Government, and if made at all it should be applicable to the
other charitable medical institutions in Calcutta.
12. The indoor attendance has increased at nearly all the charitable institu-
tions except at those of the Mayo group, while at the Campbell Hospital, which
is mostly resorted to by pauper and famine-stricken patients, the increase has
been very considerable, necessitating the provision of a temporary shed in order
to prevent overcrowding. It is probable that a large portion of the increase in
the indoor patients generally at the hospitals was due to the high price of
food grains in Calcutta and the surrounding districts during a great part of
the year. The death-rate among the patients treated was 126.13 per mille, against
124.05 in 1888.
STATEMENT No. II.
R a c e a n d S e x o f o u t d o o r a n d i n d o o r p a t i e n t s .
Europeans ...
...
...
Total for 1888.
Male.
Female.
Children. Total for 1889.
9,180
6,310
1,731
1,383
9,424
Eurasians
...
. . .
...
25,701
8,449
5,786
9,187
23,422
Mahemedans . . .
...
...
87,813
42,860
7,855
21,490
72,205
Hindus
...
. . .
...
122,006
78,463
14,499
16,449
109,411
Other races
. . .
...
. . .
9,006
2,681
1,467
2,930
7,078
TOTAL
,..
253,706
138,763
31,338
51,439
221,540
13. This table indicates a very considerable falling off in the number of
nearly all classes of patients, and perhaps the increase of over 5,000 sick who
attended in 1889a t t h e D u f f e r i n H o s p i t a l , w h i c h i s u n d e r t h e a b l e m a n a g e m e n t o f
Mrs. Foggo, accounts in a great measure for the smaller number of women and
children who have received medical aid at the other charitable institutions of
t h e t o w n ; b u t t h e d e c r e a s e i n t h e n u mb e r o f ma l e p a t i e n t s , a mo u n t i n g t o
nearly 20,000, is mainly attributable to the inaccuracy of the returns in 1888,
as already explained. The decrease has not been confined to the members of
any particular race, but is apparent among all classes except Europeans, who
have resorted to the hospitals in somewhat larger numbers than in 1888.
STATEMENT No. III.
Deaths in Calcutta Hospitals in 1889 and ten previous years.
AIL DISEASES EXCEPT CASES
TREATED IN THE EYE INFIRMARY.
CHOLERA.
Death-rate
per mille,
excluding
cholera.
Number of
deaths
registered
by the
Municipal-
ity.
Rate ner
mille of
population.
Treated. Died.
Died per
mille.
Treated.
Died.
Died per
mille.
1879
. . .
...
...
22,197
3,602
162
634
351
553
150
13,044
30.3
1880
. . .
...
21,032
2,94
138
356
183
514
131
11,681
27.1
1881
. . .
...
...
2 0 . 1 5 6
2,876
142
589
304
510
131
13,030
3 0 .
1882
..,
..
20,078
2,886
143
859
468
514
125
13,177
30.4
1 8 8 8
•••
. . .
...
19,872
2,719
136
932
510
547
116
12,325
28.4
1884
. . .
..,
..,
20.833
3,058
146
1,023
63
523
127
13,256
30.5
1885
..,
...
2 2 , 9 2 5
2,918
127
627
362
677
114
12,707
2 9 . 3
3856
..,
.,.
...
28,174
2,733
117
781
424
542
103
11,447
2 8 . 4
1 8 8 7
. . . .
...
21,918
2,191
118
612
3.11
557
105
10,979
25.3
1888
...
22,107
2,750
124
905
521
575
104
11,695
2 6 . 9 7
1 8
8 9
. . .
. . .
...
23,721
2 , 9 9 2
126
795
419
527
112
17,682
2 6 . 9
14. From this table it will be seen that the number of cholera cases
treated in the hospitals was smaller than in the previous year, and the
mortality among them was less. The death-rate among all the patients,
excluding cholera, was 112 per mille, against 104 in 1888.