Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
TABLE NO. 2.-A Record of the Diseases treated in the Government Civil Hospital in 1849.
Diseases. Cases. Deaths. Diseases. Cases. Deaths. Abscess 1 Brought forward 140 13 Anasarca Hepatitis Burns. Hæmoptysis Bladder, inflammation of Hæmorrhoids Cases not enumerated Hernia, humorous * Constipation Heart, disease of Contusion 4 Iritis * Catarrh Mesenteric disease Delirium tremens Paralysis. 1 '1 Diarrhics. Phthisis Dislocation of hip Piyaliam. Dysentery, acute 18 Peritonitis 3 Epilepsy + Rheumatism, acute 11 Œdemà, .2 Scorbutus Empyema 1 Scrofula * Fever, continued 5 Splenitis intermittent Syphilis, primary remittent 51 Small-pox Gastritis 3 Ulcers Gonorrhea Wounds 10 Gout Suicide (tempted by cutting the throat) 1 Carried forward. 140 13 Total 195 18Per centage of deaths to cases, 9-23.
The persons admitted into the civil hospital are chiefly policemen, but there are also included officers of the Supreme Court, the gaol, and the servants of the harbour-master, besides cases of destitution found by the police, and persons wounded in affrays.
Amongst the diseases, fevers of various types, and of these the remittent is the chief, and dysentery are the most numerous.
In every instance the malignant fever which has appeared in this colony has been described to be of the remittent form, and certainly it is the prevailing disorder. During the last year it was mild in its character, of short duration, and very amenable to treatment. "Dysentery presents a peculiar aspect in this climate, and is very different from the disease described generally by eastern medical writers. It is certainly engendered in many instances by malaria. It is of all diseases in China the most intractable; it will not bear the severe antiphlogistic and mercurial system of treatment pursued in India. It is most insidious in its progress, giving rise to no prominent or distressing symptom, except the frequent tenesmus. Digestion, sleep, and mental vigour are in most cases unimpaired, while the disease treacherously advances, consuming imperceptibly the body and strength. Abscess of the liver, or sphacelus of the intestines, are its last, almost unperceived, and fatal symptoms. In Her Majesty's navy stationed here the disease has not been so common as usual, yet it evinced greater intensity than it ordinarily assumes in Hong Kong. My friend Dr. Harland, in writing to me of his experience in the merchant seamen's hospital, speaks of dysentery as follows:-" It has been very prevalent during the last year, and unusually difficult to cure. Out of 48 cases, acute and chronic, there were 17 deaths, and to these must be added five other fatal cases of dysentery supervening on other diseases; so that the deaths from dysentery alone have exceeded one-half the whole number of deaths during the year." In the 95th Regiment, the number of deaths from this disease was 10, but, the large number of 94 deaths is stated to have arisen from intermittent fever, and it may be reasonably suspected that some of these were complicated with dysentery.
Rheumatism stands next in the record of the most frequent diseases. Although less fatal, it is barely less intractable than dysentery. In most of the cases which have come under my observation I could trace their early origin to venereal taint. The vicissitudes of this climate favour the development and progress of the disease, and it is rarely eradicated without the influence of a decided and prolonged change of climate. In the squadron stationed in this harbour it has proved a distressing and unmanageable disease. In the seamen's hospital those of rheumatism were 14-35 per cent. of all the cases treated.
The foregoing record does not indicate accurately the number of venereal cases. Many patients suffering from other diseases, and admitted into hospital on account of the latter, were also suffering from venereal disease. It presents itself in this place in a form of peculiar virulence and malignity, such as, I believe, is rarely witnessed. It is difficult to account for its uncommon severity; it may be that it accumulates intensity from its prolonged and undisturbed existence in the unhappy creatures who are the sources of it. All purely contagious diseases seem to change their peculiar characteristics in transmission from the Chinese and Malay race to the European. This is the case with the cow-pox, the small-pox, and the itch, which acquire in their transmission distinct and peculiar characteristics, and much intensity. I have been so convinced of this fact that I have long since used in vaccination the virus I have obtained from...
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Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
· REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
TABLE NO. 2.-A Record of the Diseases treated in the Government Civil Hospital
Diseases.
Abscess
Anasarca
· in 1849.
Cases.. | Deaths,
:
1
Dinenses.
Caser. | Deaths.
140
13
Burns.
Bladder, inflammation of
Cascs not enumerated
Constipation
•
#
Contusion
Catarrh
Delirium tremens
4
Diarrhics.
Brought forward
•
Hepatitis Hæmoptysis Hæmorrhoids
Hernia, humorous Heart, disease of Iritis
*
*
Mesenteric disease
Paralysis.
Phthisis
Dislocation of hip
'1
Piyaliam.
Dysentery, acute
18
Peritonitis
3
Epilepsy
+
Rheumatism, acute
11
Œdemà,:
.2
Scorbutus
Empyema
1
Scrofula
*
*
Fever, continued
5
Splenitis
intermittent
Syphilis, primary
remittent
51
Small-pox
Gastritis
3
Ulcers
Gonorrhea
Wounds
10
Gout
•
Suicide tempted by cutting)
1
the throat
*
Carried forward.
140
.-13
Total
195
18
Per centage of deaths to cases, 9-23.
The persons admitted into the civil hospital are chiefly policemen, but there are also included officers of the Supreme Court, the gaol, and the servants of the harbour-master, besides cases of destitution found by the police, and persons wounded in affrays.
Amongst the diseases, fevers of various types, and of these the remittent is the chief, and dysentery are the most numerous.
In every instance the malignant fever which has appeared in this colony has been described to be of the remittent form, and certainly it is the prevailing disorder. During the last year it was mild in its character, of short duration, and very amenable to treatment. "Dysentery pre- sents a peculiar aspect in this climate, and is very different from the disease described generally by eastern medical writers. It is certainly engendered in many instances by malaria. It is of all diseases in China the most intractable; it will not bear the severe antiphlogistic and morcurial system of treatment pursued in India. It is most insidious in its progress, giving riso to no prominent or distressing symptom, except the frequent tenesmus. Digestion, sleep, and mental vigour are in most cases unimpaired, while the disease treacherously advances, con- suming imperceptibly the body and strength. Abscess of the liver, or sphacelus of the intes tines, aro its last, almost unperceived, and fatal symptoms. In Her Majesty's navy stationed here the discase has not been so common as usual, yet it evinced greater intensity than it ordinarily assumes in Hong Kong. My friend Dr. Harland, in writing to me of his experience in the merchant seamen's hospital, speaks of dysentery as follows:-" It has been very pre- valent during the last year, and unusually difficult to cure. Out of 48 cases, acute and chronic, there were 17 deaths, and to these must be added five other fatal cases of dysentery supervening on other diseases; so that the deaths from dysentery alone have exceeded one- half the whole number of deaths during the year." In the 95th Regiment, the number of deaths from this disease was 10, but, the large number of 94 deaths is stated to have arisen from interniittent fever, and it may be reasonably suspected that some of these were compli- cated with dysentory.
1
Rheumatism stands next in the record of the most frequent discases. Although less fatal, it is bartly less intractable than dysentery. In most of the cases which have come under my observation I could trace their early origin to venereal taint. The vicissitudes of this climate favour the development and progress of the disease, and it is rarely eradicated without the influence of a decided and prolonged change of climate. In the squadron stationed in this harbour it has proved a distressing and unmanageable disease. In the seamen's hospital those of rheumatism were 14-35 per cent. of all the cases treated.
The foregoing record, does not indicate accurately the number of venereal cases, Many patients suffering from other diseases, and admitted into hospital on account of the latter, were also suffering from venereal disease. It presents itself in this place in a form of peculiar viru- lence and malignity, such as, I believe, is rarely witnessed. It is difficult to account for its uncommon severity; it may be that it accumulates intensity from its prolonged and undisturbed existence in the unhappy creatures who are the sources of it. All purely contagious diseases scem to change their peculiar characteristics in transmission from the Chinese and Malay race to the European. This is the case with the cow-pox, the small-pox, and the itch, which acquire in their transmission distinct and peculiar characteristics, and much intensity. I have been so convinced of this fact that I have long sinco used in vaccination the virus I have obtained from
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