20
REPORT ON THE
respectively. It is hoped that the surgical work of this hospital will show an
increase in future.
44. The Campbell Hospital returns 1,539 operations, against 2,198 in 1897.
Fifty-four of the decrease of 659 is due to the exclusion from the returns of
the operations known as hypodermic injections, and the rest is attributed to
plague scare. In my last year's report I remarked that as this is a medical
school, it is particularly necessary that the Superintendent should perform
more surgical operations of importance with his own hands. Of the 1,539
performed in 1898, none were performed by the Superintendent. It is alleged
that as this officer holds several collateral charges, he has no time to devote
to surgical work. Major Gibbons has drawn my attention to the terms of his
appointment which indicate that he shall exercise general supervision only.
He states that as Police Surgeon he has to perform many post mortem examina-
tions and to give evidence in Court; that the former duty incapacitates him, to
some extent, from performing important surgical operations involving pure
aseptic conditions, and that the latter makes it impossible for him to fix his
hours, or, indeed, to find time to see either surgical or medical cases regularly,
and in a thorough manner. I deeply regret this, while admitting the force of
his arguments. There is no doubt that if the Superintendent of the Hospital is
to do his duty to the sick poor, and, above all to the very important Medical
School which is attached to it, he should be a whole-time officer. Moreover,
in this hospital some of the most wonderfully instructive cases of chronic
disease perhaps in the world are to be found, affording material for increasing
our knowledge of many obscure diseases, yet it is, notwithstanding there are
some able Assistant Surgeons, to a great extent thrown away. Here even such
a man as Charcot of Paris would have found opportunities of studying much that
was new in reference to the nervous system. It is lamentable that such a field
should be wasted.
There were 10 deaths after operations, the same as in 1897, the percentage
of mortality being .63 against .45 in 1897. The number of extractions of the
lens for cataract was 25, or 19 less than in 1897. The percentage of cases in
which vision was restored was 71.42, against 59.09 in the previous year.
As usual, the great majority of the important operations were performed by
Assistant Surgeon Zuhiruddin Ahmed. A list of the more important operations
is given below:—
Number.
Number.
Tracheotomy
. . .
. . .
2
Amputations of
Extraction of the lens
. . . 25
Arm
. . .
. . .
2
Operations for strangulated hernia 1
Forearm
. . .
. . .
3
Lithotomy
. . .
. . . 1
Hand
...
...
3
Removal of scrotal tumour
. . . 2
Leg
. . .
. . .
6
Decapitation
. . .
. . .
1
Thigh
. . .
...
1
Foot
...
...
2
Total
... 49
The total number of more important operations was 49, against 77 in
1897 and 87 in 1896. Important surgery in this hospital is declining. Efforts
should be made to increase its surgical work.
45. The Mayo Hospital had 2,499 operations, against 3,284 in 1897.
There were 10 deaths, against 16 in 1897, the death-rate per cent. being .39 and
. 4 8 r e s p e c t i v e l y . T h e m o r e i m p o r t a n t o p e r a t i o n s a r e m e n t i o n e d b e l o w : —
Number.
Number
Extraction of lens ...
... 58
Amputations of —
Litholapaxy
...
...
1
Arm
...
...
1
Operations for strangulated hernia
1
Forearm
...
...
1
Removal of scrotal tumour
. . . 11
Wrist
...
...
1
Leg
...
. . .
4
Total
... 78