12
REPORT ON THE
22. Particular diseases—Small-pox.— T h i s
d i s e a s e w a s p r e v a l e n t i n t h e t o w n
of Calcutta during the latter part of 1899. The numbers admitted to hospitals
were 42, against 37 in the previous year. Forty were treated in the special
wards of the Campbell Hospital, and 2 (1 European and 1 native) in the
Medical College Hospital Proper for educational purposes. The number of Euro-
peans and Eurasians admitted into the Campbell Hospital was 14, against 1 in
the previous year, and of all others was 26 against 35 in 1898. The total
death-rate was much higher than in the previous year—47.61 per cent. against
32.43, which shows the severe character of the disease. The marginal
Cases. Deaths. Ratio
per cent.
Confluent
...
17
12
70.58
Semi-confluent
...
9
3
33.33
Discrete
...
7
... ...
Modified
...
4
... ...
Hæmorrhagic
...
3
3
100
Total for 1899
...
40
18
45.
Total for 1898
...
36
12
33.33
table gives particular of the 40 cases
treated in the Campbell Hospital.
Of the 40 cases, 21 were unprotected,
or 52.5 per cent., against 23 and 63.88
respectively in 1898. The casualties
among the unprotected were 13, or
61.90 per cent. Nineteen are said to
have been vaccinated, of which 5 were
fatal. In all of the latter the vacci-
nal scars were faint. The 2 cases at
the Medical College Hospital died. The Superintendent of the Campbell Hospi-
tal informs me that some of the cases among Europeans were of a peculiarly
virulent type. It appears that cases are constantly occurring amongst
the unvaccinated, which points to serious failure on the part of the Vaccination
Department of the town in enforcing the law.
23. Cholera— Was more prevalent and fatal in Calcutta and Howrah during
the year under report than last year. The admissions to hospitals also rose from
227 in 1898 to 355 in 1899. The members of the Police force were not
stricken by this disease during the year under report. Of the 355 cases,
20 were Europeans and Eurasians and 335 "all others." The mortality was
heavier than in the previous year, the death-rate having been 63.94 per cent.,
against 53.74 in 1898.
The death-rate among Europeans and Eurasians was 70 per cent., against
58. 82 in 1898. The rate of mortality among "all others" was also heavier,
it having been 63.58 per cent., against 53.33 in the previous year. Of the
20 Europeans, 11 were treated in the Medical College Hospital, 7 in the
Presidency General Hospital, and 2 in the Howrah General Hospital, the
death-rate per cent. being 54.54, 100, and 50, respectively. The cent. per
cent. death-rate in the Presidency General Hospital during the past two years
is striking, but, as I remarked last year, it is dependent on the cases treated.
It is also true that averages calculated on such small numbers as 7 in
the Presidency General Hospital are useless for statistical purposes. The
decrease of 1 death at the Howrah General Hospital reduced the percentage
from 100 to 50 in the year under review. Of the 335 "all others," 136
were treated in the Campbell Hospital with 91 deaths, or 66.91 per cent.; 88
in the Mayo Native Hospital with 54 deaths, or 61 . 36 per cent.; 72 in the Medi-
cal College Hospital, 44 of whom died, or 61 . 11 per cent.; 28 in the Howrah
General Hospital, 17 ending fatally, or 60 .71 per cent.; 10 in the Sambhu Nath
Pandit Hospital with 6 deaths, or 60 per cent.; and 1 in the Chandney Hos-
pital, a fatal case.
24. Three cases of cholera originated in the Campbell Hospital during the
year under report, of whom 2 died, One was a child who used to run about and
enter the female cholera ward and contracted the disease. Another patient,
who was suffering from dysentery, took 'unsuitable' food and got cholera.
The third contracted the disease outside the hospital. No case of cholera
originated in the other hospitals.
25. Two Civil Assistant Surgeons were employed in connection with anti-
choleraic inoculations during the year under report.
26. Dysentery.—The total numbers of in- and out-patie nts treated for
1898.
1899.
In-patients
... 1,395
1,495
Out-patients
. . . 4,176
4,909
Total
. . . 5,571
6,404
dysentery are noted in the margin and contrasted
with the figures of the preceding year. The increase
occurred in both classes, and corresponds with the
greater prevalence of this disease in the town,
which was due to climatic influences. The total