Report of the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Inspector-General of Hospitals / [Ceylon].

  • Ceylon. Civil Medical Department
Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Inspector-General of Hospitals / [Ceylon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    wards for lepers ; and a few stray eases were treated in other hospitals, numbering 44. It is inn . Ale to give the number of lepers scattered about the Island who are not under observation. The Pro- ;iai Surg keep registers of reported cases, but there are many eases not reported. The present accommo¬ dation for lepers is inadequate. Most of the patients come from the Western and Eastern Provinces. The want of a second asylum in the Eastern Province has been felt for a long time. Ilis Excellency the Governor has included in his five-year programme for new works a leper asylum at or near Batticaloa. A site lias been selected by the Government Agent of the Eastern Province and myself on the other side of Batticaloa across the Kaladi ferry, where land can be obtained for such agricultural pursuits as may be suitable for the patients. The treatment introduced by Professor Deyclce, and mentioned in my report for last year, has been tried in Ceylon, with some success; but the number of patients undergoing the treatment has not. been large enough to express a definite opinion as to its value. The observation will be continued. 17. Anchylostomiasis.—The number of cases of this disease treated at the Government hospitals has increased during the year under review by 603, the total being 4,434. Originally this disease was confined to Malabar coolies on estates, who bring the disease from India. It is therefore being constantly introduced with the batches of coolies who arrive daily. It is reported by most of the medical officers doing duty among the natives of the Island (who live on the confines of estates) that the disease is spreading among them. The death-rate from this disease in 190S to cases of the disease treated was 23 • 31 per cent. I do not think that this death-rate accurately represents the mortality from this disease, for many cases are returned as being due to malarial cachexia, which really are due to anchylostomiasis. The seriousness of the disease known as anchylostomiasis, or dochmius duodenalis, has been recognized in this Colony for many years. On looking up the admissions and deaths for tliis disease during the last ten years. I find that they have increased more than tliree-fold. 13. Diphtheria.—There were 3 cases of this disease treated in the Colombo hospitals during the year, with one death. 19. Parangi.—Each year shows reduced figures in the number of persons attacked with parangi ; in 190S the number of cases treated was 3,246, of whom 23 died, as against 3,513 cases and 45 deaths in 1907. The North-Western Province is the part of Ceylon most affected, viz., 712 cases, the Eastern Province returned 614 cases, the Southern Province 529, Uva 414, and Sabaragamuwa 405. A special hospital for parangi patients has been sanctioned for the North-Western Province. 20. Malignant Diseases (Cancer, Sc.).—Reports on 200 cases of malignant disease were received from the various Provinces as under :— Western Province Central Province Northern Province Southern Province Eastern Province Of these, the clinical diagnosis of carcinoma 140 • North-Western Province 14 North-Central Province 1 Province of Uva OO —J Province of Sabaragamuwa 3 was made in 176 cases and of sarcoma in 24 cases. 9 1 x 6 4 21. Phthisis.—During the year 1903 there were 1,318 cases of phthisis treated at the various medical institutions, as compared with 841 cases treated during 1907. The following tables show race and sex distribution in the Provinces and race and age distribution of the disease in the sexes :— ■St- Table I.—Race and Sex Table Showing the Distribution in the Provinces. Provinces. Sinha- , Mala- lese. bars. I Tamils. Moors. Bur¬ ghers. 'Malays 'Euro¬ peans. | Ben¬ gali. Not stated. | Total. 1 1 - i Grand Total. i M. F. j M. V. M. F. M. F. M. F. 1 M. F. M. F. M. F. j M. F. ; ”■ F. Western ... ... 262 193 90 20 41 IS 16 7 8 10 1 2 — 1 2 — — 1 420 252 i 672 Central 45 28 46 23 | 10 9 3 1 t 4 i - — 1 106 66 1 I 172 Northern ... , I 3 _ j 44 18 1 - — — — 53 18 | 71 Southern ... ... 49 Si! 5 3 1 — 1 - 9 9 - - 0 _ — 60 39 99 Eastern ... * -h- 15 4 1 — 1 - — 19 4 ! 23 N orth-Western ... 59 24: 21 3 - 0 — 7 1 — * 1 - — _ — — 93 *] 121 North-Central 10 lj 5 — 2 1 — — — — — _ — — 17 2 i 19 Uva ... 35 12! 13 6 | 2 -! 2_ — — — 52 18 ! 1 70 Sabaragamuwa ... 4^- O O 1 -• 1 1 — — — L)l) 10 71 Piacial Sex Totals ... 509 301 194 61 121 50 32 10 11 16 r> 2 j 2 _j - 1] 875 4-> ! 1,318 I _ ! J _, Racial Total . 810 255 . 171 42 O7 8 O 0 j 1 1.3 18 ‘‘ * 1,318