CO885-(23-24) — Page 147

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The results from individual hospitals are as follows:—

District.

Cases.

Donths.

Cave Valley

TE Carl-Bal-fil-

|||||||||||

313

(Partly Been

private practice.)

in

Other cases have been seen in the private practices of the Medical Officers. Dr. Turton's Report.

Daniel Town

Stewart Town...

Manchester.

Wakefield

Knockpatrick

1

Prospect

1

New Green

1

Refuge Calabar

1

Devon

1

1

Green Vale

1

Ulster Spring

1

Balaclava

1

Duan Vale

1

Cottage

1

Bounty Hall

1

Resource

1

Fairfield

1

St. James.

Studley

Montego Bay

4

Porus

1

Morant Bay

Hordley...

Port Antonio

Buff Bay Annotto Bay

Port Maria

St. Ann's Bay Falmouth

Montego Bay Lucea

Sav.-la-Mar

Black River

Mandeville

Lottery

1

Mount Carey

1

Highgate

1

Chapelton

Cedar Grove

1

Lionel Town

Glanville Bogue Hill Vaughansfield Cambridge Springfield

1

Christiana

1

Spanish Town

1

Simon Town

1

Linstead

1

Walderston

1

1

1

Redberry

Chesterfield

1

Clarendon.

Hanover.

Chapelton

1

Fat Hog

1

Frankfield

1

Green Island

Crofts Hill

1

Lucea

3

Mocho

2

Mountain Piece

1

Grantham

1

Rock Spring

1

May Pen

2

Retrieve

1

Rose Hill

2

Ballards River.

1

Westmoreland.

Providence

1

Sav.-la-Mar

4

Tweedside

Moreland Road

1

Moreland Hill.......

1

Grange Hill Williamsfield Georges Plain Black Nest

Little London Lambs River

St. Catherine.

1

2

Spanish Town...

1

Bog Walk

1

Old Harbour

1

Troja

1

Linstead

Bethel Town Silver Spring Develand

1

Riversdale

1

Guys Hill

1

Point Hill

242222211

Pear Tree Grove

St. Elizabeth.

Harkers Hall

Santa Cruz

Black River

Pedro Plains

222

Ewarton

Christian Pen

1

Church Pen

Fyfe Pen

1

West Prospect...

Malvern

1

Williamsfield

1

Myersville

1

Hampshire

Cameron Hill

Armstrong

Williamsfield

Bellevue

1

Jackson

1

Redwood

1

1

Mount Regal Glengoffe

1

Owing to the above results of examination, and the fact that many of the Northside coolies who are infected are now being transferred to Spanish Town Hospital, it becomes a serious question as to whether the Penitentiary Farm should have the sewerage from the above institutions run on to it any longer.

Of the newly-arrived immigrants that arrived recently on an estate, Dr. Moseley found ova in fæces of seven of them.

It is a pity that shoes and putties are not provided for all coolies to wear.

Since he reported three years ago on the prevalence of ankylostomiasis in his district it has become increasingly evident to him that this disease is responsible for a far greater amount of disability of chronic ill-health-among the labouring population of his side of the parish than any other single cause that he can name. It is the mild infection that seems to be so insidious in its effects before the grave and unmistakable symptoms show themselves. Over and over again within the last few years he has seen cases of chronic" debility without any marked symp- toms clear up and recover rapidly on the discovery of a very mild infection followed by specific treatment. One occasionally sees a whole family affected in greater or less degree. He writes thus of the district as only being within his own knowledge.

But he may say that he has examined every child admitted into the Industrial School during the past year: these came from every parish in the Island, and it is a rare thing to find a child from any one of the country districts that is quite free from this infection. This is, of course, the result of the absence of any proper system of dealing with the excreta, the earth becoming foul, re-infection occurring, and the disease spreading. Then comes physical disability, and so poverty; from this to prædial larceny is but a step, and the children, left to fend for themselves, become a curse to their neighbours by reason of the depredations for they must steal or starve. So the vicious circle of poverty and disease become established, with crime as an incidental. His strong conviction is that this disease is responsible for much of the petty crime of the country districts of the Island.

NOTE ON ANKYLOSTOMIASIS IN THE PENITENTIARY.

The investigation into the prevalence of hookworm among prisoners received at the penitentiary has been continued during the year ended March 31st, 1912. Owing to pressure of other duties I was obliged to suspend the work for about four months. Two hundred and thirty-two new prisoners were examined. One hundred and sixty- method seven or about 71 per cent. were found to contain hookworms. The naked eye of examination was employed, so that it is certain that many cases escaped detection; the more laborious miscroscopic or cultivation methods would have yielded a much larger percentage of infected cases. Coolie prisoners are not included in this investi- gation. Of the 167 infected cases 116 are recorded as having many worms, in the remainder only a few were found. Six cases were in the third or most advanced stage of the disease; a number showed symptoms of moderate infection. All cases improved greatly after treatment.

It seems highly probable that hookworm infection acting continuously and unchecked through long periods is the chief factor in the production of infantilism, so often met with in this population, and a frequent cause of difficulty in childbirth. Observations in the Southern States of America, India, and other places where the disease is endemic have shown that it is producing definite physical and mental

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

mmimumini.C.O. 885 [ [ 'T

23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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