( 3 )
6. Excluding the cases treated in the Eye Infirmary, the death-rate for all
the institutions rose from 13.18 to 14.60, the highest mortality recorded for ten
years, with the exception of 1897, when it was 16.40. This increased death
-rate is attributed to the admission of a large number of persons in a moribund
condition and also of plague cases. Depending, as it does, to a great extent
upon the class of patients and the condition in which they are brought
to the hospital, the death-rate varies within wide limits. Thus the rate
for men ranged from .66 at the Police Hospital to 23.33 at the Campbell
Hospital. Similarly, in the case of adult women, the Dufferin Victoria Hospital
shows a death-rate of 1.36 and the Campbell Hospital of 33.52. The death-rate
among men was higher than last year in all the hospitals, except the Police and
the Howrah General Hospitals. The female death-rate rose most conspicuously
in the Mayo Hospital, viz., from 8.13 to 21.46. This abnormal increase is
attributed to the admission of a large number of pilgrims who came to Calcutta
from Puri suffering from cholera.
7. Small-pox was prevalent during the latter part of the year, and the
number of patients admitted into hospital suffering from the disease rose from
37 to 42. Of these persons, 21 were unprotected either by vaccination or
inoculation, and 13 of them, or 61.90 per cent., died. Of 19 persons who had
been vaccinated, 5, or 26.32 per cent., died, and in all of them the marks of
vaccination were faint. There were 14 Europeans and Eurasians admitted to
the Campbell Hospital suffering from this disease against one in the previous
year, and some of these cases were of a virulent type. The total death-rate
was 47.61, against 32.43 in the previous year.
8. The number of admissions to hospital of persons suffering from cholera
was 355 against 227 in the previous year, and 227 cases proved fatal, giving a
death-rate of 63.94 per cent. against 53.74 in 1898. The increase is most
marked in the Campbell Hospital, where the number of cases rose from 89
to 136. Among the patients there were 20 Europeans and Eurasians, of
whom 14 died. Three cases originated at the Campbell Hospital, of which two
were fatal.
9. The admissions to hospitals on account of dysentery increased from
5,571 to 6,404, but the death-rate decreased from 29.53 to 26.88. The Campbell
and Howrah General Hospitals show a high rate of mortality due to the admis--
sion of a large number of moribund cases. While the death-rate among Euro--
peans and Eurasians was only 4.93 per cent., the rate among other classes was
29.55. The number of diarrhœa patients rose from 6,244 to 6,673, but the
death-rate fell from 47.04 to 43.62. Malarial fever was more prevalent than in
the preceding year, and the admissions increased from 37,276 to 46,131. The
death-rate also rose from 6.72 to 9.12 per cent. The number of persons treated
for venereal diseases increased from 10,550 to 11,159. Twenty-four lepers
were admitted into the hospitals during the year, against 62 in the previous
year, and of these, 22 were treated in the Campbell Hospital. This decline is
said to be due to the transfer of patients to the Leper Asylum. There were
37 cases of enteric fever and 617 cases of remittent fever, against 32 and 609,
respectively, in 1898. Of the 37 cases, 34 were Europeans and Eurasians,
Two hundred and thirty-nine cases of plague were admitted during the year,
of which 158 were treated at the Medical College Hospital and 46 at the
Campbell. The death-rate was 82.84 per cent.
10. The total number of surgical operations increased from 21,610 to 25,109.
Death followed in 154 cases, giving a percentage of .61, against .72 in the
previous year. The largest number of operations was performed at the
Medical College Hospital, where the death-rate was .82 against .96 last year. At
the Campbell Hospital the operations were as usual performed by the Assistant
Surgeons and none by the Superintendent. It is not possible to alter this until
the Superintendent is relieved of some of his multifarious duties. There was a
large falling off in the number of operations in the Dufferin Victoria Hospital,
viz., from 1,631 to 89, which is said to be due to the inclusion of a large number
of operations of a trivial nature in the figures of 1898. Although there has
been some increase in the total number of operations at the Howrah General
Hospital, the number of more important operations declined during the year.
The Lieutenant-Governor agrees with the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals
that it is desirable that more surgical work should be done in this institu--
tion, and he trusts that now that the hospital has been provided with an
operation-room, there will be an improvement in this direction. The Lieu
-nant-Governor takes this opportunity to express his appreciation of the large