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Table XIe. shews the number of opium smokers admitted to the Gaol Hospital and the diseases they were suffering from. There were no deaths among them and no cases of Cholera occurred among them, enfeebled though they are supposed to be by this said to be pernicious habit, though they had exactly the same diet as the other prisoners and were distributed among those that were attacked. The only cases worthy of note are first, one who was 60 years of age, had been an opium smoker forty years, the longest time of all the 75 who came into Goal, smoked 3 mace per diem weight 85lbs. on admission and the same after a month's confinement though he was subject to the penal diet the same as other prisoners, he was never on the sick list nor received any particular treatment to cure him of the habit.
All opium smokers now are only under observation unless their is special reason besides this habit they receive no treatment whatever, the habit is entirely ignored and they go to their work and diet same as other prisoner.
The heaviest weight on admission was 1331bs. lost 2lbs. in the fortnight he spent in Gaol was 58 years of age 20 years an opium smoker consumed one mace per diem.
The lightest weight admitted was 71lbs. he increased 4lbs. during a fornight's confinement was 26 years of age one year an opium smoker and consumed one mace daily.
The greatest decrease in weight among the opium smokers was 8 lbs. and this case was never on the sick list, this man had been 15 years a smoker of one mace daily.
The greatest gain in weight was lbs.-this man had been 10 years a smoker of 11⁄2 mace had never been in hospital so that there was only the ordinary diet to account for the increase.
This habit in itself appears to me to be perfectly harmless. In conjunction with women, wine, late hours and gambling it is very possibly injurious, but in this case it is not in it" to use a slang phrase, compared with tobacco as while indulging in this "pernicious" habit you must devote your whole attention to it and it alone. The opium hells of Europe and America combine more than one of these attractions as a rule. The great majority of opium smokers in China have this "vice " only and too much pity is wasted abroad which might well be spent at home. The "poor heathen Chinese affords a better example than most Europeans, it is only a small minority even among the well-to-do that are not frugal and industrious in their habits, and sober in their enjoyments though they are opium smokers.
LUNATIC ASYLUM.
Table XId. gives the number, nationality, disease and description of patients admitted to the Asylum.
There were eight patients last year of whom two remain this year in the Asylum. There being no female patients in the wards this year, they were used for European female Small-pox cases and have since been thoroughly disinfected, repainted, &c.
TUNG WA HOSPITAL.
The total number of patients treated during 1888 in this Hospital was 2,298 of these 1,428 died. 379 were admitted in a moribund condition.
The number of out patients treated was 99.721.
There remained in Hospital at the end of the year 88 patients.
To the Small-pox wards of this Hospital 349 cases were admitted of these 276 died, the majority of the admissions were infants and children and but very few cases had been vaccinated.
All the cases occurred in the first half of the year. 1882 vaccinations were successfully performed in Victoria and the outlying districts.
TEMPORARY LOCK HOSPITAL.
I regret to say this Hospital is still in the temporary buildings, the cause of this being, that the new Hospital has been given over to the European nurses of the Government Civil Hospital and other portions of the European Staff, till the New Quaters are built for them, these I hope will be ready by the beginning of next year.
Last year I reported the abolishment of the Contagious Diseases Ordinance and the unexpected wishes of the women of all classes to continue the Medical Examination. This voluntary attendance has been contrary to my expectatious wonderfully good and regular but notwithstanding this the cases admitted to Hospital are of a much graver type the majority being for soft sores and buboes.
The extent of the severity is well indicated by the average number of days under treatment which has risen from 13.9 to 24.4 a larger average than has occurred since 1869.
There were 10,924 examinations made last year and 66 found diseased among the women. Table E. In this Table the admissions to the Venereal Wards of the Military Hospital shew a large increase being 401 as compared with 222 in 1887
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