10
REPORT ON THE
the total number of patients treated at that institution, viz., 647, 254 died, or
at the rate of 39.25 per cent., which indicates that this disease is very fatal
among the poorest classes of the community from whom the greater proportion
of the patients are derived.
21.
Diarrhœa—was also more prevalent in the year under report, but it
is difficult to account for this. The total number of patients treated for this
disease was 1,419 against 1,274 in 1890.
22.
Malarial fevers—were somewhat less common among the indoor
patients, as 4,235 cases were treated in 1891 against 4,366 in the previous year.
This disease is, however, chiefly confined to the outdoor patients, the number
of these aggregating 38,888 in 1891.
23.
Venereal affections .—These are said to be unusually prevalent in
Calcutta, and more particularly since the abolition of the Contagious Diseases
Act; but the statistics of the disease, as furnished by the hospitals, afford little
evidence of this, there having been 11,886 patients treated in all the Calcutta
hospitals, including the Voluntary Lock Hospitals in 1891, against 12,326 in
1890, showing a falling off of 440 patients. At the Voluntary Lock Hospitals
there were treated 1,846 patients in 1891 against 2,564 in the previous year,
showing a diminution of 718. At the Medical College Hospital there was an
increase of 139 patients, but at the Presidency General Hospital there was a
reduction of 43 patients. At the Police Hospital there was also a reduction of 33
cases, but at the Campbell Hospital there was an increase of 55, at the Mayo Insti-
tutions an increase of 108, and at the Bhawánipur dispensary an increase of 52.
Unfortunately no comparison can be made with the prevalence of the disease in
years previous to 1890, as in that year the nomenclature was changed, and
we now distinguish between those affections in "group A" and those which are
classed under the heading "Other than those in group A."
24. Tubercular affections. — T h e s e s h o w a n i n c r e a s e o v e r t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r ,
and a large number was treated at the Campbell Hospital, viz., 48, of whom
47 died, or at the rate of 97.91 per cent. Dr. Mackenzie in his report remarks
that all the cases at the Campbell Hospital were verified by post-mortem exam-
inations. This disease has acquired renewed interest by its having been
discovered to be caused by a microbe which not only makes cases of it more
easily diagnosed than formerly, but also entails its inclusion among the infec-
tious diseases. It may be spread by the dried sputum of an affected person.
25.
Respiratory affetions. — A c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e t u r n s t h e s e a f f e c t i o n s
generally were more common in the year under review, and especially as the
result of influenza which has been prevalent at some of the hospitals
in the early months of the year. At the Medical College Hospital a large
number of pneumonia cases were admitted consequent on an influenza epidemic
among the general population. At the Presidency General Hospital pneu-
monia cases were also more common, and in many instances were a sequel
of influenza.
26.
Leprosy.—Only 134 cases were treated in all the hospitals, and 122
of these found their way into the Campbell Hospital. Dr. Mackenzie says
that probably the Calcutta Leper Asylum was full and unable to accommodate all
the lepers of the town, and hence they had to be admitted into the Campbell
Hospital.
27. In a previous report on the working of the charitable dispensaries
of Bengal, I ventured to compare leprosy with tubercular affections in
so far as they are both caused by a microbe, and I stated that in my opinion
a person suffering from the latter disease was more likely to affect the com-
munity. I notice that Dr. Crombie at the Presidency General Hospital
takes special precautions to prevent contagion in that way, and I remark in a
recent number of the Lancet that a number of medical men in Glasgow have
addressed the Town Council, recommending that special measures should be
adopted to prevent the public from being infected with consumption. The
Leprosy Commission also in its report has given it as its opinion that the
danger of being infected with leprosy has been much exaggerated, and that
the alarm about the disease spreading was also exaggerated.
28.
Rheumatic affections—increased during the year, and this is parti-
cularly noticeable at the Campbell Hospital. Dr. Mackenzie says : " I am