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other facts connected with their mode of living for in this direction lies some hope of keeping them under. The total destruction of such a large family as the mosquito seems to me an almost impossi- ble undertaking, and, though in individual cases some good may be done I do not think much hope can be held out of any large diminution in the cases of malaria by destroying these pests. Clinically the disease has become much more interesting to us all, and I trust this interest has been equally beneficial to the patients. I hope next year's report will contain exact information as to the varieties of fever prevalent throughout the year. It seems to me that this year the disease has been of a more malignant type though this impression may be owing to the better and more scientific methods now in use in diagnosing the disease. There have been 3 cases of what is known as the coma form of malaria under treatment, 2 Europeans and 1 Chinese, with two deaths a European and a Chinese. The Appendix gives an account of two cases of interest.
I am still of opinion that the best prophylaxis is the daily use of a small dose of quinine (3 to 5 grains) throughout the summer (May to November) but I am very sceptical as to whether it will ever be possible to persuade the bulk of the population to adopt this course. I certainly think the better educated amongst the community might in this instance do worse than follow medical advice thongh possibly they will prefer to go on expecting Government to kill off all the mosquitoes regardless of cost which idea seems at present to have taken hold of most. I may say that this course of treatment does not prove in any way injurious.
Enteric fever-30 cases have been under treatment with 10 deaths, of this number 11 with 3 deaths were imported into the Colony.
Dysentery.-95 cases were admitted of which number 34 came from the Police.
Beri-beri.-29 cases were under treatment but this gives no idea as to the prevalence of the disease here as with our limited accommodation we can only take in the most serious cases. There were 9 cases amongst the Police, all Chinese and all newly-joined recruits. Practically little or nothing is known as yet about the causes of this tropical disease but we may, I think, look forward to more enlightment on the subject from Dr. WRIGHT's investigations in the Straits Settlements.
Diphtheria.--Only 4 cases were admitted, all from the Berlin Foundling. The antidiphtheritic serum was used in all cases with marked benefit but 3 of the cases died. They were weak, sickly children and all had complicatious (malignant malaria, dysentery and pneumonia).
Hepatic Abscess.-5 cases were under our care with two deaths. One of the deaths was in a Chinaman who as far as ny experience goes are little troubled with this disease. He had been 14 days under quack treatment at the Tung Wa before he came to us and this long delay of course very materially influenced the result. One case being of interest has been reported in the Appendix.
Appendicitis.-6 cases were admitted to hospital with no deaths. Of this number two were operated on, three recovered without an abscess forming and one recovered after the abscess had burst through into the rectum.
Tetamus.-One case occurred in the person of a Chinaman who was brought in in the last stages of the disease and rapidly succumbed.
Cholera. We are able to report another year without any cases of this disease. Looking at the water supply of the Colony it seems almost an impossibility for this disease ever to take any footing here.
Bullet Wounds. — 18 cases of this form of injury have been under treatment. We are much handi- capped in treating them as well as injuries about joints by the want of an X Rays apparatus.
Veneral Disease.-Our accommodation for treating this disease being so extremely limited the number of cases admitted do not prove anything one way or the other as to the increase or otherwise of the prevalence of the various forms of this disease. In the Out-Patient departinent, however, they form a very large number of the cases and some of the cases were very serious not so much from the virulence of the disease as from the want of proper treatment. It is a pity, as the Principal Civil Medical Officer remarked in his report last year. that the Tung Wa do not take in these cases as so much can be done both in treating the patients, if seen carly, and by so doing preventing the spread of the disease. From the latter point of view more especially it is much to be desired that a Lock Hospital for Chinese existed in the Colony. In the whole Colony for the treatment of all the men so afflicted, other than Europeans, there is only the one ward of 14 beds in this hospital—a manifestly inadequate number.
Guinea worm.—This obnoxious disease does not fortunately exist in the Colony but one case has been under treatment in the person of a young Indian policeman who brought the disease with him from India and so gave us an opportunity of studying another tropical ailment.
Poisoning.--The chief poisoning cases were due to opium (2) and datura alba (4)-one of the former died and the latter all recovered.
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