Sanitary statistics of native colonial schools and hospitals.
- Florence Nightingale
- Date:
- 1863
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Sanitary statistics of native colonial schools and hospitals. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material is part of the Elmer Belt Florence Nightingale collection. The original may be consulted at University of California Libraries.
70/76 page 66
![Mauritius. Canada. Manatow- ANING. Vide Tables X. and Y., pp. 52 and 53. lately, all the cases of leprosy were sent to a ward for that purpose in the lunatic asylum. This disease rarely occurs among Europeans arrived from Europe, it is more frequent among Creoles of European parents born in the island, and very much more so among the mixed African race and the Indians. Tetanus, both traumatic and idiopathic, occurs very much more frequently than in Europe. P. B. Ayres, M.D. Lond., Civil Hospital, Port Louis, Surgeon in charge. 22d June 1861. Diseases of malarious origin are most numerous among Indians as well as whites, the former comparing favourably with the latter as far as health is concerned. R. H. Dke, M.D. As regards the diseases it is easy to perceive that some predominate over others; for instance, chronicus rheumatismus, worms, jjorrigo, bronchitis chronica, phthisis pulmonalis, and others. These, of course, in a great measure originate from the careless and dirty habits of the semi-civilized Indians, along with their daily exposure to all sorts of weather without having different clothing to wear in winter from that which they have been in the habit of using during the summer; in addition to which, their living principally upon corn and potatoes (fish not always being procurable), which induces the pro- duction of worms, and at the same time being a sort of food very unsuitable for children. Scrofula is universal amongst them, and in a great measure is produced from their near intermarriages; and it is quite a common circum- stance for a boy of 16 or 17 to marry a girl of the same age, and very often much younger; hence the offspring of such parents must necessarily be weak and degenerate, and in consequence of their hereditary debility more liable to the attacks of illness. Again, those Indians uncivilized living at a great dis- tance in the interior, and who come down occasionally to trade with the Hudson's Bay Company, I have always been given to understand were for the most part generally healthy, much more so than those of the semi-civilized tribes. I myself have had but little communication with them, as they seldom ^dsit our island, but the officers of the Company's service, with whom I have become acquainted, have always expressed but one opinion upon the subject. David Layton, In running over the diseases for the last five j'eai's, many cases of common occurrence, not of dangerous or severe nature, are omitted, from the fact that no particular inventory was required, so that the enclosed number of cases are merely taken at the time of attendance from their symptoms and necessity for peculiar or active treatment. You are aware that the Savnia Indians are principally Christians, or call themselves such, although living in a half-civihzed state. For one portion of the year they are living in warm comfortable houses, while provisions and the necessaries of Ufe are easily procured by them; during this period they are happy and contented, little sickness prevailing. The other portion of the year, from a pecuUar propensity, I suppose inherent in the race, they take to the bush, while their hving in wigwams, scant of clothing, provisions hard to be obtained, exposed to all the vicissitudes of climate, wet feet, &c., as a natural conse- quence intermittents, remittent, and other fevers, rheumatism, laryngitis, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia,phthisis pulmonalis, follow invariably. Their diversity of diet and method of living has a most pernicious influence in causing dyspepsia, worms, and most other ills to which the alimentary canal is liable, while congestion of liver, lungs, and irritation of bladder are of veiy frequent occurrence in a mild form ; from this cause the whole tribe suffer, even to childi'en of a year old. What may have been their ailments while in a heathen state I cannot say, not b jing in attendance on them, but from what I hear of the number of deaths at that period, from variola before the introduction of vaccination, exposure, scant clothing and diet, and changes of climate, &c., it must have been enormous; to draw any definite result or give ana verage of deaths from their former and present mode of living would be impossible on my ]»art. The few families of Christian](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20452603_0070.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
