MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT.
MEDICAL.
DARJEELING, THE 30TH OCTOBER 1886.
RESOLUTION.
READ—
The Report on the Calcutta Medical Institutions for the year 1885.
Read also—
The Report for the year 1884, and the Resolution recorded upon it.
1. As directed in Government order No. 608, dated the 8th February
1886, the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals has incorporated the annual
report on the voluntary lock-hospitals in this report.
2. Judged by the death returns, the public health of the town during the
year was slightly better than in the previous year. The general death-rate
was 29.3 per mille of the population of the town, against 30.5 in the previous
year. The number of deaths from cholera was 1,603 against 2,272 in 1884,
and was considerably less than the number registered in the past four years.
On the other hand, there was a large increase in the number of deaths from
diarrhœa and dysentery, the deaths having risen from 1,209 in 1884 to 1,655
in 1885. The mortality from fever slightly increased, while there was a large
falling off in the number of deaths from small-pox. The mortality from
" other causes" was also lower than in the previous year. The following
statement shows the number of cases of the principal diseases treated in the
several hospitals in Calcutta during the year, and the number of cases which
proved fatal:—
MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS.
CHOLERA. DIARRHŒA AND
DYSENTERY.
FEVERS.
SMALL-POX OTHER CAUSES.
TOTAL.
Cases. Died. Cases. Died. Cases. Died. Cases. Died. Cases. Died. Cases. Died.
Medical College ... . . .
. . .
166
94
300
54
531
43
3 ......
4,897
370 5,897
561
Presidency General Hospital ...
16
8
326
22
167
5
10
2 2,898
69 3,417
106
Mayo Hospital ... ... .,.
151
77
205
19 396
27
1 .... .
1,811
160 2,564
283
Campbed Hospital._ .,. ...
196
132 1,730
787 1,379
162
68
32 4,238
501 7,611 1,614
Police Hospital.. ... ...
7
1
433
6
904
7
1 .....
984
14 2,329
28
Howrah General Hospital
...
91
50
373
147
390
32
777
97 1,631
326
Voluntary Lock-hospital
414
18
414
18
Total ...
627
362 3,367 1,035 3,767
276
83
34 16,019 1,229 23,863 2,936
There was a considerable decrease in the numbers of both cholera and
small-pox cases treated in the hospitals, the numbers under each of these heads
being 627 and 83 against 1,023 and 275 respectively in the year 1884. In
this respect the practice of the hospitals reflects the experience of the general
population of the town. The hospital death-rate, however, under both heads
was higher than that of the previous year, being 577 and 409 per mille against
523 and 312 per mille respectively. The number of diarrhœa and dysentery
cases rose from 2,674 in 1884 to 3,367 in the year under review.
Compared With the statistics of the previous year, the total number of in-door
patients treated shows an increase of 2,170. The increase was chiefly confined
to fevers, bowel-complaints, and venereal disease. Diseases of an asthenic
type prevailed largely throughout the year. This is illustrated in a marked
manner in the Campbell Hospital return, which shows an accession of 1,086
patients who suffered from disorders generally associated with failure of vital
power. With the exception of the Police Hospital, which partakes more of the
character of a military hospital, and can in no way be ranked as a charity, all
the Presidency hospitals received a larger number of in-patients than in the
previous year. Towards the end of the year an unusual number of persons
sought admission into the Campbell Hospital, necessitating the erection of a
large temporary ward. It is stated that the increase of patients at this hospital
was in the main due to distress in the flooded districts and its consequences,