Sessional_Paper_1886-1887 — Page 417

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TROOPS.

There is a very large increase in the amount of sickness among the Troops, chiefly caused as in the case of the Police from Fevers and Bowel complaints of a malarial type; though the troops have suffered much more severely in proportion to their strength. The death rate has been comparatively small when the amount of sickness is considered.

Table. IV gives the average strength of the Force, the admissions to Hospital and deaths with the percentage of sickness and mortality.

I give the number of admissions to Hospital and deaths for the past ten years below:-

Admissions.

1877,... 1878,

973

Deaths.

9

944

10

1879,

.1,035

8

1880,.

1,075

13

1881,

.1,116

4

1882,.

.1,019

9

1883,.

..1,105

10

1884,...

1,097

12

1885,...

.1,190

24

1886...

..1,607

9

The sickness as will be seen exceeds that of any of the previous years.

There were no cases of Cholera last

year.

GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL.

This Establishment remains as described in my last Annual Report, but the building of the new wards is very far advanced, and will in a month or so be completed.

The admissions to Hospital this year have exceeded all former years, chiefly caused by diseases of a malarial type.

Seventy cases were admitted under observations only, and discharged.

There were 415 cases of Fevers of various types admitted, of these only two cases died shewing that the type of Fever was not very severe,

Fifty cases of Dysentery were admitted, of whom four died.

Fifty eight cases of Diarrhoea were admitted, of whom one died.

The following table shews the number and position of those brought to Hospital for the last six

years:-

1881.

1882.

1883.

1884.

1885.

1886.

Police,

.498

549

599

486

495

602

Board of Trade,

.117

116

.110

60

100

132

Private paying Patients, 193

268

260

259

283

381

Government Servants,... 67

88

105

96

124

144

Police Cases,

139

207

227

231

238

142

Destitutes,

222

230

201

222

270

222

1,236

1,458

1,502

1,354

1,510

1,623

years.

The increase is chiefly noticeable among the admissions of Police and Private Paying Patients. There is a considerable and satisfactory diminution in the admissions of Police cases. Table. V shews the character of the diseases admitted to Hospital.

Table VI shews the rate of mortality of the different classes admitted to Hospital for the past ten

Table VII shews the admissions and deaths of the different classes in each month of the year. The number of admissions was as usual largest in the summer months.