1871 — Page 192

the reception of females. This place is found most inconvenient, both from its situation and ar rangement, as the only approach to it is by a steep Indder less than 3 feet wide. Patients who are unable to walk have to be carried up this ladder, and in the case of fractures this mode of en- trance is not unattended with danger.

The accommodation afforded by the Government Hospital is, in every way, inadequate to the wants of the Colony. The building is badly planned and much too small. When the maximum number of 83 patients was in Hospital, there was a space of less than 900 cubic feet and 55 super- ficial feet to each patient, instead of 1,500 cubic feet and 100 superficial, which is the smallest quantity recommended by the Indian Sanitary Commission. I entered more fully into the varions requirements of the Hospital in my Report of 29th May, 1871.

SMALL POX HOSPITAL.

In Appendix I., will be found a Report by Dr. ROBOTHAM on the Small-Pox Hospital at Stone Cutter's Island. On my appointment to the office of Acting Colonial Surgeon on the 19th of January, there was a considerable number of Small Pox cases in the Colony. On the 1st of January there were about 70 cases amongst Europeans and Colored men. As there was no ac- commodation for infectious diseases in the Civil Hospital, n temporary building had been erected in the rear of the Lock Hospital, where Small Pox patients were received. The disense being ap parently on the incrense, it was deemed advisable to concentrate the cases as much as possible, and so lessen the risks of contagion by diminishing the number of centres of infection. For this purpose the Colonial Government had a part of the Gaol on Stone Cutter's Island fitted up as an Hospital and placed under the care of Staff Surgeon Roboritam. To this building all the cases were removed from the Civil Hospital, Gnol and Semmens' Hospital, and it was publicly announced that Small Pox enses would be treated at Stone Cutters' Island only. When the disense began to appear amongst the Troops, at the request of the Principal Medical Officer, military cases were also received at Stone Cutters Island. The Police were ordered to report any ease of Small Pox that came under their notice and to try and induce the person to come to Hospital for treat- ment. The soldiers were ordered to avoid the Western part of the town where the Chinese mostly dwell, and the liberty men from the ships of war were not allowed to land. The endeavour to prevent the spread of the disease was so far successful that only 5 cases occurred amongst the European-born civil population. The 75th Regiment, with the exception of one child, had not a single ense. There were 25 cases among the Sepoys and Camp followers of the 13th Madras Native Infantry and 2 cases among the Gun Lascars. Now enses continued to occur until the 15th May, when the last patient was admitted to Hospital. Most of the cases occurred in strangers, either from ship board or from Sailors' boarding-houses, and no one part of the native town could be said to suffer more than another. The Chinese were said to have suffered considerably and several dead bodies were found with the marks of recent Small Pox. Among the ships of war 19 men were seized with Small Pox, and these were trented on board the Flamer, which was moored off the Melville and used as a Small P'ox Hospital. A full report of cases at Stone Cutter's Island will be found in the Report by Dr. RonoтHAM, and as I visited the Hospital periodically, I can testify to the care and kindness with which the patients were treated by that Surgeon,

Table V. Rate of Mortality in the Civil Hospital during the last 14 years.

Table IX. shows the admissions and deaths during each month of 1871.

Tables A., B., & C., kindly furnished by Dr. AnaMs, show the statistics of the Seamen's Hospital

for 1871.

III. THE GAOL.

The health of the prisoners has, on the whole, been very satisfactory. Soon after the rains began. cases of Diarrhea and Fever were prevalent, but most of them were slight. The greatest number of prisoners in the Gaol was on the 31st of May, when there were 564, viz., 100 Europeans, 14 Colored, and 450 Chinese. The smallest number was on the 5th of March, when there were 450, viz., 59 European, 19 Colored, and 372 Chinese.

Table VII. shows the admission into Hospital and mortality during the year. Most of the deaths occurred in debilitated worn-out constitutions, only 2 being the result of neute disease. Of the 9 cases of Insanity, some were only temporarily insane and others were destitute imbeciles sent to finol by the Magistrates until claimed by their friends, or, in the case of Europeans, until forwarded to Europe by the Government.

Table VIII. shows the rate of sickness and mortality. The building is always remarkably clean and in good order. The thick walls and long airy corridors keep it very cool in summer, and without any artificial heating the prisoners are kept comfortable in winter by an ample supply of blankets and warm clothing. A small room has been added to the East Wing, where the prisoners, on admis sion, are inspected by the visiting Surgeon.