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BRITISH MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND.
881
but he especially drew attention to the subcutaneous use of preceding years, were the chief cause of sickness, having of the admissions. quinine, because it is the most powerful and rapid agent for given riseof totheupwards of four-tenths respiratory system caused the highest ratio this purpose with which he was acquainted. To antipyrin Diseases and autifebrin he had referred but very briefly, because he of deaths, and next to them fevers. Cholera was less prevahad no experience of these agents in these cases. Referring lent and fatal than in 1884. Theaverage number of prisoners in the gaols of India was to the blood-letting spoken of by another speaker, he the admissions into hospital were 1014 and the at one time was 82,650; such that remarked very general practice in India, and the resulting mortality was so great that it deaths 33 54 per 1000-the former being slightly under and the latter 4’43 per 1000 above the proportion in 1884. In was given up. __________
BRITISH MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND. THE monthly committee meeting was held on Tuesday last at the house of the treasurer, Dr. Broadbent, and the resignation of Mr. Edward Newton, a member of the committee since April, 1880, was accepted with regret. There were fourteen cases before the committee, and a small balance only at their disposal. Four applications were passed over on account of the amount of income possessed by the applicants, or for some other cause, and three were postponed for further information, and grants, amounting in all to .S83, varying from S2 to £ l8 were made to the remainder. A sum of .65, which had been advanced to a surgeon under circumstances of extreme urgency, after thorough investigation by a member of the committee, was repaid. In the case of an aged practitioner (seventy-one), to whom was voted .E10 on consideration that S50 was subscribed privately for his benefit, this has not only been accomplished within the month, but an additional .E10 or more has been subscribed, and the coming winter trials made comparatively light for a helpless paralytic, should he survive so long. The available balance was completely exhausted, and the committee is left with nothing in hand to meet the demands of November and
December.
REPORT ON SANITARY MEASURES IN INDIA IN 1885-6, TOGETHER WITH MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION UP TO
JUNE, 1887.
(VOL. XIX.)
WE have so recently given, at considerable length, the details respecting the health of the European troops in India during 1885, that it is unnecessary to notice the section of the Report now before us relating to them. The average force of the native troops for the year was 115,486. The admissions into hospital were in the ratio of 978, the deaths of 16’09, and the daily sick, of 32 per 1000 of the strength. The admissions and mean sick were lower, but the deaths 3’87 per 1000 higher than in 1884. The sickdifferent divisions of the ness and mortality in the in as the table. were given subjoined Army
This shows the sickness and mortality in the Bombay Native Army to have been much higher than in any of theother divisions. The most healthy force was the IIyderabad Contingent. The unfavourable results as regards Bombay were due to the excessive amount of sickness and high deathrate among the portion of the force in Southern Afghanistan, the admissions having been 2832 and the deaths 100’81 per 1000 of the strength of the troops employed there. Malarial fevers, though less prevalent than in any of the five
the admissions were 1060, m Madras 705, and in Bombay 6-lo per 1000; and the death-rate was 38’40, 17’86,
Bengal
and 33 76 per 1000. Bengal shows a very high proportion of sickness and mortality, and Bombay, while having a low rate of admissions, has a high death-rate. The range in the death-rate was very great, being from 2’52 per 1000 in Salem Gaol (Madras Presidency) to 171 in Julpaiguri Gaol (Bengal). The latter very high rate is attributed to overcrowding, defective ventilation, and very bad drainage outside and inside the walls. The results for Madras are very satisfactory, the death-rate being the lowest on record; its steady decrease during the last six years furnishes strong evidence of the value of sanitary measures judiciously applied. Among the gaol population of India generally, intermittent fever was the cause of 371 admissions per 1000, or upwards of one-third of the whole. Dysentery and diarrhcea. gave rise to the highest-death-rate, being in the proportion of 11’IS per 1000 of strength, or one-third of the total mortality. Diseases of the respiratory system were fatal in the proportion of 5-01, and cholera of 3’44 per 1000. " When compared with the rates for past years, those for 1885, although still high in many cases, show considerable improvement; but enough has been said to show that in many gaols, especially those of Bengal, much improvement is still required, the nature of which can be readily learned from the disease and death statistics and from the gaol sanitary sheets." The registration of deaths in India is still so imperfect I the results, as shown by the returns, must be greatly that under the truth. For instance, as regards Bengal, it is stated that there is no record of the deaths caused by a cyclonic storm which occurred in Orissa on Sept. 22nd, and which are estimated to have amounted to about
15,000. From the reports of the Sanitary Commissioners it appears that the questions of water supply and of drainage continue to receive attention, and much good work has been done in connexion with both; but the usual difficulty of inadequate funds greatly retards the progress of the improvements. The acting Sanitary Commissioner for Madras points outthe need for a sanitary engineer qualified to give advice to local bodies with regard to water supplies and drainage," and believes that "if such an authority were available, a great impetus would be given to sanitary works." During the year a new Act, called the Madras Local Boards Act of 1884, was passed. Under it a Board has been constituted in each district whose duty it is to provide " for the
improvement of village sites and water supply, for sanitary arrangements during fairs and festivals, for the scavenging of small towns and large villages, for the construction and repair of markets, slaughter-houses, latrines, dustbins, and
drains, and other measures calculated to promote the health, comfort, or convenience of the people." If the provisions
of this Act are efficiently carried out, they ought to be productive of very beneficial results on the health of the general population of the Presidency.
but he especially drew attention to the subcutaneous use of preceding years, were the chief cause of sickness, having of the admissions. quinine, because it is the most powerful and rapid agent for given riseof totheupwards of four-tenths respiratory system caused the highest ratio this purpose with which he was acquainted. To antipyrin Diseases and autifebrin he had referred but very briefly, because he of deaths, and next to them fevers. Cholera was less prevahad no experience of these agents in these cases. Referring lent and fatal than in 1884. Theaverage number of prisoners in the gaols of India was to the blood-letting spoken of by another speaker, he the admissions into hospital were 1014 and the at one time was 82,650; such that remarked very general practice in India, and the resulting mortality was so great that it deaths 33 54 per 1000-the former being slightly under and the latter 4’43 per 1000 above the proportion in 1884. In was given up. __________
BRITISH MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND. THE monthly committee meeting was held on Tuesday last at the house of the treasurer, Dr. Broadbent, and the resignation of Mr. Edward Newton, a member of the committee since April, 1880, was accepted with regret. There were fourteen cases before the committee, and a small balance only at their disposal. Four applications were passed over on account of the amount of income possessed by the applicants, or for some other cause, and three were postponed for further information, and grants, amounting in all to .S83, varying from S2 to £ l8 were made to the remainder. A sum of .65, which had been advanced to a surgeon under circumstances of extreme urgency, after thorough investigation by a member of the committee, was repaid. In the case of an aged practitioner (seventy-one), to whom was voted .E10 on consideration that S50 was subscribed privately for his benefit, this has not only been accomplished within the month, but an additional .E10 or more has been subscribed, and the coming winter trials made comparatively light for a helpless paralytic, should he survive so long. The available balance was completely exhausted, and the committee is left with nothing in hand to meet the demands of November and
December.
REPORT ON SANITARY MEASURES IN INDIA IN 1885-6, TOGETHER WITH MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION UP TO
JUNE, 1887.
(VOL. XIX.)
WE have so recently given, at considerable length, the details respecting the health of the European troops in India during 1885, that it is unnecessary to notice the section of the Report now before us relating to them. The average force of the native troops for the year was 115,486. The admissions into hospital were in the ratio of 978, the deaths of 16’09, and the daily sick, of 32 per 1000 of the strength. The admissions and mean sick were lower, but the deaths 3’87 per 1000 higher than in 1884. The sickdifferent divisions of the ness and mortality in the in as the table. were given subjoined Army
This shows the sickness and mortality in the Bombay Native Army to have been much higher than in any of theother divisions. The most healthy force was the IIyderabad Contingent. The unfavourable results as regards Bombay were due to the excessive amount of sickness and high deathrate among the portion of the force in Southern Afghanistan, the admissions having been 2832 and the deaths 100’81 per 1000 of the strength of the troops employed there. Malarial fevers, though less prevalent than in any of the five
the admissions were 1060, m Madras 705, and in Bombay 6-lo per 1000; and the death-rate was 38’40, 17’86,
Bengal
and 33 76 per 1000. Bengal shows a very high proportion of sickness and mortality, and Bombay, while having a low rate of admissions, has a high death-rate. The range in the death-rate was very great, being from 2’52 per 1000 in Salem Gaol (Madras Presidency) to 171 in Julpaiguri Gaol (Bengal). The latter very high rate is attributed to overcrowding, defective ventilation, and very bad drainage outside and inside the walls. The results for Madras are very satisfactory, the death-rate being the lowest on record; its steady decrease during the last six years furnishes strong evidence of the value of sanitary measures judiciously applied. Among the gaol population of India generally, intermittent fever was the cause of 371 admissions per 1000, or upwards of one-third of the whole. Dysentery and diarrhcea. gave rise to the highest-death-rate, being in the proportion of 11’IS per 1000 of strength, or one-third of the total mortality. Diseases of the respiratory system were fatal in the proportion of 5-01, and cholera of 3’44 per 1000. " When compared with the rates for past years, those for 1885, although still high in many cases, show considerable improvement; but enough has been said to show that in many gaols, especially those of Bengal, much improvement is still required, the nature of which can be readily learned from the disease and death statistics and from the gaol sanitary sheets." The registration of deaths in India is still so imperfect I the results, as shown by the returns, must be greatly that under the truth. For instance, as regards Bengal, it is stated that there is no record of the deaths caused by a cyclonic storm which occurred in Orissa on Sept. 22nd, and which are estimated to have amounted to about
15,000. From the reports of the Sanitary Commissioners it appears that the questions of water supply and of drainage continue to receive attention, and much good work has been done in connexion with both; but the usual difficulty of inadequate funds greatly retards the progress of the improvements. The acting Sanitary Commissioner for Madras points outthe need for a sanitary engineer qualified to give advice to local bodies with regard to water supplies and drainage," and believes that "if such an authority were available, a great impetus would be given to sanitary works." During the year a new Act, called the Madras Local Boards Act of 1884, was passed. Under it a Board has been constituted in each district whose duty it is to provide " for the
improvement of village sites and water supply, for sanitary arrangements during fairs and festivals, for the scavenging of small towns and large villages, for the construction and repair of markets, slaughter-houses, latrines, dustbins, and
drains, and other measures calculated to promote the health, comfort, or convenience of the people." If the provisions
of this Act are efficiently carried out, they ought to be productive of very beneficial results on the health of the general population of the Presidency.