Report of the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Inspector-General of Hospitals / [Ceylon].

  • Ceylon. Civil Medical Department.
Date:
[1906]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Inspector-General of Hospitals / [Ceylon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/90 (page 14)
    88. The Water Supply.—With the exception of the following institutions : Matale, Mannar, Galle, Chilaw, Nikaweratiya, Balangoda, Trincomalee, the water was reported to be good, pure, whole¬ some, and abundant. Water for drinking purposes is, as a rule, filtered before use. Water supply scheme for Nanu-oya, Balangoda, Tillicoultry, and Uda Pussellawa are under consideration. 89. Bathrooms.—All hospitals are provided with separate bathrooms for males and females and furnished with tubs, which are filled with hot or cold water according to the requirements of the patients. Patients who can help themselves, however, prefer to bathe in streams, when there are such adjoining a hospital. 90. Drains.—There are no covered drains. The drains are all surface ones for carrying away ward washings and storm water. 91. Sewage.—The conservancy of the latrines is entirely on the dry-earth system; the excreta is removed daily and buried or incinerated at some distance from the hospitals. Doulton’s earthenware squatting plates have been introduced into most of the hospitals. 92. Inspection.—The hospitals were all inspected either by me or the Provincial Surgeons of the respective Provinces. The number of these visits of inspection and the official designation of the visitors will be found given in the return of each institution. The books were produced when called for, and were generally found complete and made up to the date of examination. The reports of inspection by the Provincial Surgeons as well as those by me were forwarded to Government when necessary. 93. Food Supply.—The provisions for the various hospitals were supplied by purveyors on contract approved by Government. This system works satisfactorily. The medical officers in charge of the respective hospitals examine the food before it is served out to the patients, and reject such articles as do not come up to contract samples ; contractors offering inferior articles are fined. 94. Dispensaries.—502 dispensaries, including branch institutions and visiting stations, were in operation. Of these, 313 were Civil, 46 District, and 143 Estate. They are distributed as follows :— In the Western Province 37, Central 61, Northern 46, Southern 42, Eastern 35, North-Western 40, North-Central 38, Province of Uva 29, and Province of Sabaragamuwa 31, and on Estates 143. In the Civil and District Dispensaries there were treated 1,444,799 persons who paid 2,127,647 visits, against 1,222,790 persons who paid 1,849,544 visits in 1905. 95. Port Duties and Immigration.—The number of vessels which arrived at the port of Colombo was 3,341 against 3,250 in 1905, 2,857 being steamers and 484 native craft. 22 vessels were in strict quarantine for smallpox, 3 for cholera, 9 for suspected plague. The sick in all cases were isolated and the contacts segregated. A new disinfecting station has been established at the root of the Breakwater, where an Equifex high pressure steam disinfecting machine has been erected. There are washing-rooms for clerks and for first and second class saloon passengers; but this site is now required for works in connection with the Breakwater, and a new disinfecting station has to be made. The number of persons disinfected at the old station, Kochchikade, during the year was 23,690. The number of native passengers who arrived in Colombo during 1906 was 71,107 traders and 88,930 estate coolies ; out of these totals, 17,766 who had no marks of vaccination were vaccinated. Pearl Fishery. 96. Medical Staff.—The fishery lasted from 10th February until the 9th April. Dr. F. G. Spittel was the Chief Medical Officer at the Fishery Camp, assisted by one medical officer and four apothecaries. There were two medical officers at Paumben, who inspected, for infectious disease, all passengers embarking for the camp. 97. Water.—The water for the inhabitants of the camp was obtained from tanks ; its quality was not good. Officials used water from a well; no ill-effects followed the use of the water, which, as a general rule, was boiled before being taken. 98. Sanitation.—The sanitary condition of the camp was satisfactory. About 120 coolies and several overseers worked under the supervision of the Sanitary Officer. 99. General Health.—The number of patients treated at the hospital and dispensary was larger than on previous occasions, but on the whole the health of the inhabitants was good. There were 6 cases of Smallpox, of whom 4 died ; 1,412 cases of Malaria ; 63 of Dysentery. The deaths numbered 23. 100. Hospitals.—There was a hospital for general diseases, two infectious diseases hospitals, and an observation ward. The food was of good quality, and the water was boiled and filtered through a Pasteur filter. 101. Latrines.—The night soil was collected twice daily and buried. 102. Equipment.—The equipment was of good quality, with an ample supply of medicines and surgical apparatus. 103. Numbers treated.—245 patients were admitted to hospital, of whom 23 died and 222 were discharged. The average daily sick was 35-44. The prevailing diseases were malaria, dysentery, and pneumonia. 104. Outdoor Dispensary.—1,808 patients were treated at the outdoor dispensary. 105. Bagama Camp.—The number of coolies, passengers, and others who passed through the camp during 1906 was 88,167, against 141,823 in 1905. 8,716 coolies who had no marks of vaccination were vaccinated, (Eighteen patients during the year were admitted to the camp hospital, of which nine were suffering from Cholera, 3 with Chickenpox, 1 with Dysentery, and 1 Malarial Fever. There were 8 deaths. The sanitation of the camp was satisfactory, the water supply of good quality and in sufficient quantity. The night soil was incinerated. 106. Medical College.—The College contains lecture halls, students’ library, laboratories for chemical physiology, biology, and pathology, dissecting room, offices, photographic rooms, a museum and Colonial Medical Library, and a separate building for lady students, containing sitting-room, lavatory, and special dissecting room. Dr. A. J. Chalmers, M.D., D.P.H., F.R.C.S., the Registrar, was absent on leave during the earlier part of the year, and Dr. Paul, M.D., F.R.C.S., acted for him. Dr. H. B. Mylvaganam, F.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. was appointed Lecturer in Anatomy, vice Dr. Paul. Dr. Burgess, D.Sc., was appointed Professor of Chemistry, and Air. Templeton, M.A., B.Sc., Professor of Physics.