Annual report of the Medical and Sanitary Department / Sierra Leone.

  • Sierra Leone. Medical and Sanitary Department
Date:
[1923]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical and Sanitary Department / Sierra Leone. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/140 page 8
    II—PUBLIC HEALTH. (<) GENERAL REMARKS. G. The general health of both European and African officials was not so satisfactory as in 1922. There were fourteen invalidings and no deaths amongst Europeans as against live and two respectively in 1922. Amongst the African officials the figures were 13 and 7 in 1923 against 7 and fi in 1922; there is no special cause to attribute this ill-health to. 7. The attached table shows the total number of new cases treated during the year at all hospitals and dispensaries as compared with 1922. Hospital Cases or In-Patients : 1923. 1922. Europeans ... 131 126 Africans 3,154 2,787 Dispensary Cases or Out-Patients: Europeans 170 233 Africans 46,805 48,540 Grand Total o tO ca iO 51,686 8. It will be noticed that— (ia) there is an increase of 372 in hospital patients, due in a great degree to the fact that in 1922 full accommodation in the Colonial Hospital was only available from August to end of the year ; (b) there is a decrease of 1,798 in the number of out-patients which may be accounted for by the fact that there were no epidemics ; and for a considerable part of the year, owing to retirement and sick leave, we were two short in qualified staff, which necessitated closing down one station as a medical officer’s station. 9. The subsequent attendances numbered 97,359, a decrease of 6,519 : this is out of proportion to the decrease in out-patients, and is accounted for by the fact that the native here, after one or two attendances, being relieved, does not trouble any more. In 1922 the subsequent attendances averaged 2‘08 per patient; in 1923 L93. 10. Freetown was free from epidemics of any sort; outbreaks of Yellow Fever were reported from several ports on the Gold Coast and plague was reported from some of the neighbouring French and Spanish possessions, necessitating the enforcement of quarantine regulations for short periods ; no case of either of these diseases occurred in the Colony. 11. The Cape Quarantine Station was requisitioned once during the period for contacts (some sixty in number) from a German boat, on which was found a case of confluent smallpox ; there were no other cases. 12. There were sixteen cases of chicken-pox and two cases of smallpox treated at the contagious diseases buildings at Kissy flats. 13. General Diseases.—Rare ; the following were observed :—Pernicious anaemia ; one exopthalmic goitre, two ; rickets, three ; lymphadenoma, two ; gout, one. 14. Rheumatism.—Acute rheumatism and rheumatic fever are not common; chronic rheumatism—articular and myalgic, is fairly widespread. 15. Dysentery.—There was an increase of fifty-four in the number of this disease treated in 1923. 16. Tuberculosis.—This for the last four years shows a steady and somewhat alarming increase ; the increase is more evident amongst the Creole population, which is not surprising in Freetown, when one realizes the overcrowding of houses, want of air space and ventilation, and the apparent overcrowding in the houses themselves. 17. Venereal Diseases.—Gonorrhoea and syphilis show a steady increase in the numbers treated. 18. The figures in these diseases are only the cases treated by Government medical officers and one fears they are not all representative of the true numbers. 19. Whether the disease be gonorrhoea or syphilis, the native through indifference or persistent negligence fails to come for treatment until almost incapacitated ; in the meantime he may be spreading the disease far and wide. 20. Tuberculosis, dysentery, and venereal diseases treated during the last four years are as follows Disease. 1920. 1921. 1922. 1923. Tuberculosis 65 116 91 138 Dysentery ... 404 185 252 306 Gonorrhoea 1,143 1,087 969 1,126 Syphilis 472 687 647 723
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