312
This shows as compared with last year an increase under all headings but "Free".
There were 150 deaths during the year which gives a mortality rate of. 5.5 per cent. Of these deaths 51 cases were moribund on adinission and died within twenty-four hours.
The average daily number of sick was 90.01 as against 93.94 last year.
The number of women and children admitted was 272 as against 238. The death-rate was the same, viz. :--
-9.2 per cent.
The nationalities of persons admitted were as follows:-
Europeans-848 as against 784.
Indians and Coloured-737 as against 644.
Asiatics (Chinese and Japanese)-1,119 as against 1,157.
Diseases.
The following more important diseases were responsible for the greatest
number of admissions:-
Fevers:
Malarial,
..267
Febricula,
120
Typhoid,
Venereal Diseases,
Diseases of Respiratory System,
30
.153
247
Diseases of Digestive System,
·
Beri-beri,
Dysentery,
Rheumatism,
...233 ...110
43
87
Alcoholism,
Injuries,
65
.544
The following diseases caused the greatest number of deaths :-
Diseases of Respiratory System,
Diseases of Digestive System,
Diseases of Urinary System, Beri-beri,
Injuries and burns,
25
11
7
50
Malarial Fever 277 cases against 234 in 1904. Of this number, 267 were in for the disease itself and 10 others developed the illness whilst under treatment for other ailments (dysentery 5, wounds 3, beri-beri 1, anæmia 1). According to nationalities 66 cases were in Europeans, 137 in Inlians, 60 in Chinese aud 14 in Japanese. There is an increase this year though the increase is slight, the malarial cases as compare with the number of patients in hospital being 10.2 per cent. as against 9.05, a marked contrast to 1901 when they were 26.6 per cent. There can be no question that the war waged by the authorities against the mosquito has given as good results here as anywhere else, more marked in some localities than in others. The western end of Bonham Road, which used to supply us with very bad cases both in Europeans and their servants bas not sup- plied a single admission this year which is another proof, if any is now needed, of the possibility of doing away with this tropical ailment. Only 3 deaths occurred one in a child of 6 months and the others in adults already much debilitated by previous illness. As will be seen by Table VIII the malignant variety here as elsewhere is much the most common variety and the disease is more prevalent in the latter half of the year.
Febricula:-120 cases, as against 128 in 1904, appear under this heading with one death. A few of these cases no doubt are malarial fever in patients well under the influence of quinine before coming to hospital so that no parasites are found in their blood after repeated examinations but the bulk of them are cases in which fever is the only symptom and for which no cause can be assigned. The fatal case resembled typhoid fever clinically but the Widal reaction was negative and the bacteriological tests undertaken after death by Dr. HUNTER were also negative.
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