4
REPORT ON THE
Recorded deaths
among the general
population of the
Town of Howrah.
Cases treated
in the Howrah
General
H o s p i t a l .
Recorded deaths
among the popula-
tion of the Suburbs
of Calcutta.
Cases treated
in Campbell
Hospital.
Fevers.
Fevers.
1884
...
841
348
1884
...
3,897
1,250
1885
928
390
1885
...
4,109
1,379
1886
...
674
307
1886
...
3,590
1,435
1887
. . .
515
279
1887
...
3,675
1,195
Diarrhœa and Dysentery.
Diarrhœa and Dysentery.
1884
...
379
358
1884
1,590
1,284
1885
...
451
373
1885
...
2,099
1,730
1886
...
343
333
1886
...
1,682
1,005
1887
...
340
3 5 3
1887
. . .
1,817
1,213
Cholera.
Cholera.
1884
...
707
146
1884
. . .
2,421
236
1885
...
372
91
1885
...
1,877
196
1886
...
528
92
1886
...
1,845
259
1887
...
295
64
1887
...
2,090
197
9. A glance at the foregoing figures clearly shows that when the admissions
into hospital for those diseases which give rise to most of the deaths are com-
pared with the death-rate among the general community from the same diseases,
they bear no direct relation to each other. I am unable at present to assign
any reason for this ; a n d i n o r d e r t h a t s o m e l i g h t m a y b e t h r o w n o n t h e m a t t e r ,
I would. propose that the mortuary table printed on the first page should in
future be constructed so as to show the death-rate in the different localities from
which each hospital chiefly derives its patients.
10. Numbers treated in hospital.—The total number of patients treated during
the year at all the institutions, including the Howrah General Hospital, was
slightly less than in 1886, as will be seen from Statement I, the diminution
having been caused. by the smaller number of in-door patients. There has been
a larger out-door attendance; but not to such an extent as to counterbalance
the falling off among the in-patients, while the death-rate among those under
treatment has varied little from that of the previous year, the figures being
116.49 and 116.73 per mille for 1886 and 1887 respectively.
11. Looking at the individual institutions, there is little change to be
recorded. as regards the Medical College Hospital, where the attendance of both
out and in-patients and the death-rate among them are much the same as in the
previous year.
12. At the General Hospital there was a considerable falling off in the
numbers admitted, which Dr. Birch, the Superintendent, attributes partly to the
healthiness of the season and partly to the dearth of shipping in the port which
supplies this hospital with many of its patients.
13. The Mayo Hospital and. its branch dispensaries have afforded relief to
much the same number of in-patients as in 1886, while the out-door attendance
has increased by 1,432.
14. At the Campbell Hospital the patients diminished by 881 while the
death-rate varied little from that of the previous year.
15. The Municipal Police Hospital shows an increased attendance, the ratio
per mine of admissions to total strength being 919.69 against 802.10 in
1886, and 767.61 in 1885. The ratio of deaths to strength was 8.1 per mile
against 10.1 in 1886 and 9.8 in 1885. These figures indicate a low admission
and death-rate which are less than what obtains among native troops in this
part of India.
16. In the voluntary lock-hospitals the in-door patients slightly diminished
in number, while the out-door patients increased very much. .
17. The in-door patients at the Howrah General Hospital decreased in
number, while the out-door increased. A peculiar feature in the statistics of this
and the Campbell Hospital is the very high death-rate which is accounted for by
the large number of destitute and moribund patients who are admitted annually
into both these institutions. A more detailed account of the attendance at
the different hospitals will be found at the end of this report, and it need only
be remarked here that in none of them has there been any very large or
unusual increase or decrease either as regards in-door or out-door patients when
compared with the previous year. The very large number of people who resort
to the institutions affords a striking proof of their popularity, and there