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deaths. Dr. Harvey remarks that "the mere operation of vaccination conveys
no protection against small-pox unless it produces the disease vaccinia, and unless
this is allowed to run its course to maturity. Vaccination with bad lymph or
destruction of the vesicles by the application of mud, turmeric or other drugs—a
practice common in this country—is followed by no security." The Lieutenant-
Governor has no doubt that much of the dislike to vaccination felt by the
public is due to the use of imperfect lymph or to the improper performance of the
operation, and the Sanitary Commissioner will be requested to communicate
to his subordinates the remarks of the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals on
the subject.
8. The number of admissions to hospital for cholera decreased in propor
-tion to the relative prevalence of the disease among the general population
of the town, but the percentage of death among the patients admitted
was rather high, being 55.9. The death-rate among Europeans and Eurasians
was 57.14, and among other classes 55.85. There were 10 cases of cholera among
patients under treatment for other diseases. Eight of these occurred in the
Howrah General Hospital, and are attributed to the insanitary condition of the
town, and to the impurity of the water: it is very significant that with
the exception of two cases in the Campbell Hospital for which no cause is
assigned, no case originated in any Calcutta hospital, all of which enjoy a supply
of pure water. In paragraph 11 of the report, Dr. Harvey has referred to
the system of protective inoculation against cholera introduced by Professor
Haffkine of the Pasteur Institute of Paris, and expressed his own views on its
efficacy. His approval of the system should be noted, and efforts should be
made to collect statistics as to the immunity afforded by the operation. An
interesting report has recently been submitted by Dr. Simpson, the Health Officer
of Calcutta, dealing with certain cases of immunity apparently due to this system
of inoculation. The matter well deserves further investigation.
9. There was a large increase in the cases of dysentery and diarrhœa, and
the proportion of deaths from these diseases was very high in all the institutions
excepting the Police Hospital, where there were only 5 deaths from dysentery
in 225 cases. It is, however, stated that a large number of these cases were
examples of chronic and neglected disease admitted to hospital in a practically
hopeless condition. The number of cases of malarial fever rose from 41,202
to 49,080, a result in keeping with the increased prevalence of the disease among
the general population. The type of the disease is said to have been unusually
severe, but the death-rate among the in-patients suffering from this disease was
lower than during 1892. The total number of persons treated for venereal diseases
was 14,483, against 13,072 in 1892, showing an increase of 1,411 cases, of which
no less than 1,043 were cases of primary and secondary syphilis—the worst forms
of venereal disease. The number of in-door patients admitted for these diseases,
however, fell from 1,846 to 1,751, and there were only 2 deaths against 14 in
the previous year. The disease is said to have been less prevalent among the
European garrison. Admissions for leprosy show a reduction from 94 to 32,
but all the patients admitted were at an advanced stage of the disease, and 10
of them died, giving a death-rate of 31.25 per cent. The largest number of
these cases was treated at the Campbell Hospital, but some of them also found
admission into the Presidency and Howrah General Hospitals and the Medical
College Hospital. The Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals again brings to
notice the natural disinclination to admit these cases into a public hospital unless
they are in urgent need of help, and the Lieutenant-Governor thinks that all
leprosy cases in Calcutta should be sent to the Leper asylum. This point will be
considered in dealing with the question of increased accommodation required for
that institution. There were 17 cases of enteric fever, against 12 in the previous
year, and 12 of these patients were Europeans, among whom there were 5
deaths. The admissions for remittent fever show a little diminution, being
1,184 against 1,215 in 1892, and the rate of mortality was 29.05.
10. The total number of major operations amounted to 3,339, and death
ensued in 110 cases, against 3,403 operations with 134 deaths in the previous
year, the percentage of deaths being 3.15 against 3.78. This death-rate
cannot, however, be fairly compared with that of the previous year, as many
cases which were formerly classed as minor operations have now been included
in the category of major operations. The hospitals in which the largest