MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT.
MEDICAL.
DARJEELING, THE 18TH MAY 1901.
RESOLUTION—NO. 285T.—M.
READ—
The Report on the Calcutta Medical Institutions for the year 1900.
Read also
—
The Report for the year 1899 and the Resolution recorded thereon.
JUDGED by the statistics contained in the report, the year 1900 appears
to have been exceptionally unhealthy. The death-rate per mille in the town of
Calcutta rose from 37.8 to 53.88, and in Howrah from 44.56 to 60.50. These
figures are based on the population shown in the census of 1891, and a calcula
-tion based on the provisional figures arrived at in the census of 1901 reduces
the ratio for Calcutta to 43.54 and that for Howrah to 44.69. Even allowing
for this, however, there was a considerable increase in the mortality from all
the principal diseases. Plague, which prevailed with greater virulence and
caused no less than 8,354 deaths against 2,332 in 1899, is, no doubt, the
most important factor in increasing the rate of mortality ; but the percentage
of deaths from other prevalent diseases shows an increase under every heading.
Different theories have been put forward by different officers as to the cause
of the increase, but the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals rightly observes
that they are of a very conjectural character. It is, however, evident that
the unusual rainfall of September last had much to do with the increased
death-rate.
2. There is some confusion in the section of the report relating to the
health of the Port of Calcutta. The explanation of an apparent increase in the
number of inward-bound vessels inspected is not intelligible. The magni
-tude of the work involved in the plague inspections is shown by the numbers
involved. Over a quarter of a million persons, passengers and crew were
medically inspected ; and the clothing and bedding of 79,255 were disinfected :
55 seamen and 234 passengers were detained as a result of the examination.
3. The large increase of 32,520 in the number of outdoor patients is
mainly due to the greater unhealthiness of the year, but about one-third of this
is only nominal, being due to the inclusion in this report for the first time of
the statistics of the Municipal and Dockyard Dispensaries at Kidderpore, which
had hitherto been shown in the Report on Charitable Dispensaries. The total
number of indoor patients rose from 24,146 to 28,372. In both classes the
increase was pretty generally distributed, and was due to the unhealthiness of
the year. The increase of 150 out-patients at the Presidency General Hospital
justifies the continued maintenance of that department, on which doubts had
been thrown. The Shambu Nath Pundit Hospital is stated to possess only 54
beds ; but the average number of beds occupied daily is shown as 57.77.
Unless there is some mistake, this is evidence of overcrowding. This new
hospital is rapidly rising in popularity. The number of European seamen
admitted to the General Hospital is said to have fallen, though the numbers
arriving in the port increased by nearly 10 per cent. The Dufferin Victoria
Hospital for women increased its tale of out-patients by 749, but the in
-patients fell off : their number is still insignificant—a daily average of
only 9.56.
4. Excluding the cases treated in the Eye Infirmary, the death-rate for
all the institutions rose from 14.60 to 17.57, the highest mortality recorded for
11 years. All the larger hospitals recorded a higher mortality, except the
Mayo and the Shambu Nath Pundit. The rate as usual was highest in the