Part III.]
HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIES IN LOWER BENGAL.
89
The largest number of admissions was, as usual, occasioned by fevers, bowel-
complaints, and injuries. Phthisis caused an unusual number of admissions.
The greatest number of deaths occurred from the following diseases in order of
fatality:—Diarrhœa, dysentery, dropsy, cholera, debility, remittent fever, and
phthisis. Debility shows 762 cases with 168 deaths, but the great majority of
these, and nearly all the deaths (163), were of persons admitted into the Camp-
bell Hospital, either moribund, or in the latter stages of chronic diseases.
Cholera.
The number of cases of cholera treated and the mortality from this disease,
at each of the hospitals in the city, are exhibited below :—
STATEMENT No. XII.
YEARS.
1865 ... ...
1866 ... ...
1867 ... ...
1868 ... ...
1869 ... ...
1870 ... ...
1871 ... ...
1872 ... ...
1873 ... ...
NO. OF CASES TREATED.
Medical
College
Hospital.
595
998
312
565
468
236
96
133
193
General
Hospital.
102
107
78
120
61
76
27
93
51
Chandney
Hospital.
246
453
195
253
270
109
24
42
28
Municipal
Pauper
Hospital.
...
...
41
106
95
44
32
69
98
NO. OF DEATHS.
Medical
College
Hospital.
324
499
153
235
260
104
44
83
106
General
Hospital.
47
188
48
65
44
37
16
42
18
Chandney
Hospital.
126
251
83
130
129
46
16
22
14
Municipal
Pauper
Hospital.
...
21
57
50
23
16
36
62
Deaths
registered
by the Mu¬
nicipality.
6,826
2,268
4,178
3,592
1,560
790
1,142
1,155
The Surgeon-General makes the following observations when reviewing the
cholera returns of the Calcutta medical institutions :—
A larger number of cases of cholera have been treated than in 1872, the figures being 492
to 448; and as compared with 1871, the number is very nearly doubled. The rate of mortali-
ty from this disease is also seen to be higher ; in fact, the proportion of deaths to treated is dis-
tinctly larger than has been noticed during the last six years. It would seem, therefore, that
the improvement in the health of the town and its suburbs, which was so marked in 1870,
1871 and 1872, and which was coincident with the improved drainage and water-supply, to
which it was rather confidently attributed, has not been quite so fully sustained during the year
under review, so far at least as these hospital statistics give evidence. It has been shown that
though the total number of cases treated for all diseases has been less than in 1872, it has
been greater than was registered in any of the previous years given in the table, and the rate
of mortality has been higher than in 1872 or 1871 ; and as regards cholera, that more cases
and larger proportion of deaths have occurred than were recorded in 1872 and 1871, and fewer
cases but higher rate of death than in 1870.
According to the municipal returns, the number of deaths from cholera in
1873 have been nearly the same as in 1872 (1,155 and 1,142), results which do
not coincide with those shown in the returns of the hospitals and dispensaries.
Venereal diseases.
The next statement sets forth the extent to which venereal diseases pre-
vailed among patients seeking relief at the Medical College, Chandney and
North Suburban hospitals, and the dispensaries.
STATEMENT No. XIII.
YEARS.
1867 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1868 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1S69 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1870 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1871 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1872 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1873 ... ... ... ... ... ...
Cases of venereal
diseases of all
kinds treated.
13,083
11,153
10,103
8,339
7,305
6,529
6,931
Cases of primary
syphilis treated.
5,943
4,684
3,753
2,736
2,154
1,845
2,459
Referring to the report on the Calcutta Lock Hospitals, we find the
following remarks upon the increase of venereal diseases among the hospital
patients by Dr. A. Payne:—
From these figures it would seem that amidst a general decrease of sickness in 1873, the
former great reduction of venereal disease has not been fully maintained; and it would be
natural to seek the explanation of this in the progressive reduction of the number of women
x