349
December 21st at the bowels were still liquid, the Mist Crete è Bela was ordered to be given thrice daily.
December 22nd bowels not open during the night, low diet was ordered and, as he felt so much better in the evening he was discharged from the Hospital but kept under observation for a few days, the Chalk and Baël mixture was continued and in two days he was quite well again.
REMARKS.
Undoubtedly in some cases of Acute Dysentery Sulphate of Magnesia given in the way described is decidedly beneficial in the treatment of the disease; it increases the flow of serum from the blood- vessels of the engorged and inflamed intestinal mucus membrane, thus washing away the products of inflammation from the dysenteric ulcers and relieving the fever. As soon as the stools became bilious the Sulphate of Magnesia is discontinued and an astringent mixture prescribed. Undoubtedly Ipeca- cuanha is still our sheet anchor in this disease, but in two of these cases the Sulphate of Magnesia was successful after the Ipecacuanha had seemingly failed. There is another great advantage that the distressing vomiting, which is so often an accompaniment of the administration of Ipecacuanha, is by giving the Sulphate of Magnesia obviated.
J. M. ATKINSON.
Enclosure 2.
Report from the Medical Officer in charge of Gaol Hospital.
GAOL HOSPITAL, HONGKONG, 17th March, 1893.
SIR-I have the honour to forward the report together with statistical tables of the work done. in this Hospital in 1892.
2. During the past year 312 patients were admitted into the Hospital, 18 of whom were for observation including, under this class, seven men sent by the Magistrates for certificates as to sanity. Of this number, five were found to be of unsound mind.
3. The diseases from which all these patients were suffering are described in Table K.
4. Tables L. and M. show the number and percentage of prisoners that were admitted on the first medical examination and the nature of their complaints.
5. The cases that were treated, without being admitted into Hospital, are recorded in Table N. They amounted to 723, a larger number than in 1891; but all these cases were of a trifling nature, a great percentage consisting of boils, abscesses and contusions.
6. From the time that the late Major-General GORDON caused, on medical recommendation, the rough surfaces of the yards to be smoothed, there has been a remarkable decrease of plantar abscess. Since the beginning of last year, by order of His Excellency the Governor, the well-conducted short- sentenced prisoners are sent daily out to work in the chain-gangs, and, as it was to be expected, there was again an increase of cases of plantar abscess, but not so much, as when the prisoners had to walk on the rough grounds of the Gaol yards.
7. Mr. A. M. THOMSON, while Acting Superintendent of the Gaol, bought, on medical suggestion, a new set of hats with broader brims for chain gang prisoners. It might be that owing to this fact that these prisoners are better protected now from sunheat, there has been very little sickness observed amongst them. There were many cases of remittent fever in this Gaol, but not one chain-gang man had suffered from it. Another advantage which this new hat has, I think, is that it hides better the convicts' faces from gaze of the public.
The prisoners are anxious to be called to serve in the chain-gang, as they then get more food and are employed in less arduous and monotonous work, than that of shot drill and carrying stones around the yard.
8. The rate of sickness and mortality are given in Table 0. There were seven deaths amongst the prisoners from the following causes:-Jaundice, the result of obstruction in the hepatic ducts. The gall-bladder was full and greatly distended, its walls were thin at the lower end. The liver was enlarged; Hæmorrhage from rupture of spleen which was hypertrophied; Suicide by hanging himself at the door of his cell with one of his garments. This man was on remand. He had been already convicted three times; Perforation of a Duodenal ulcer. Dr. CANTLIE, who made the autopsy in this case, has published an account of it in the Indian Medical Gazette, No. 1, Vol. XXVIII.; Ulcer of stomach and cancer of pancreas; Acute tuberculosis of lungs; Pulmonary congestion in consequence of bronchitis and chronic emphysema.
9. An Indian Gaol guard, shortly after he was relieved from his duty on the 23rd March at 12.30 a.m., shot himself with his revolver through the palate. The bullet was found flattened under the left temporal muscle. It was only three days before that he had left the Government Civil Hospital, where he had been treated for Bronchial Catarrh.
10. .Three male and three female prisoners, all of them Chinese, were released on medical recom- mendation after having served part only of their sentence.