Annual report on the Medical Department / Sierra Leone.

  • Sierra Leone. Medical Department.
Date:
[1913]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Medical Department / Sierra Leone. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/158 (page 5)
    o II.—PUBLIC HEALTH. GENERAL REMARKS. Since during the period under review the registration of deaths was compulsory in only one town, Freetown, in the whole of the Colony and Protectorate our knowledge of the state of the Public Health is largely based upon returns received from the various Hospitals and Dispensaries. Malaria.—Out of a total attendance of 28,811 out-patients 2,508 are returned as cases of Malaria, whilst among 2,725 in-patients 216 cases are ascribed to this disease. There is no evidence to indicate whether the diagnosis was determined clinically or microscopically, but there is reason for assuming that in the majority of cases it was based upon the clinical symptoms. It is hoped that in future reports more definite information will be avail¬ able on this point, as Medical Officers now state in the remarks column of their monthly returns whether the disease has been diagnosed clinically or by the microscope. In Freetown itself, including the Cline Town Dispensary, the Gaol and the Colonial Hospital, 997 cases of Malaria were treated as out-patients, whilst 106 were admitted to the Colonial Hospital. There appears to be reason for believing that in Freetown the Malarial incidence is high, and this is borne out by the results obtained by Dr. Butler from an examination of 100 school children, 49 per cent, of whom were found to be infected. Dr. Butler’s instructive report will be found under the heading “ Scientific ” in Part IV. of this report. In Freetown, since the beginning of the last quarter of the year, all cases of Malarial Fever diagnosed microscopically have been notified to the Medical Officer of Health, and it is hoped that the information thus accumulated will in time enable the more important foci to be located and dealt with. Freetown has been for some years in possession of a pipe-borne water supply, and as will be seen from the Sanitary Report it has been found possible to reduce the stegomyia index to a commendably low figure. Both the statistics given above and the condition of the earth trenches that only partially serve to drain away the surface water call loudly for a system of surface drainage, and demand that the period of delay necessitated by the preparation of a comprehensive scheme should be as brief as possible. Blackwater Fever.—Nine cases of this disease were reported, of which two were fatal. Trypanosomiasis.—Eight cases of Sleeping Sickness came under obser¬ vation in Freetown during the last six months of the year, particulars of which will be found in the following table :— Date of Admission. Name. Eesidence. Native of Probably infected at 18- 7-13 Laminah Freetown Petifu in Magbele Magbele. 8- 9-13 Allie ... Sierra Leone Fernando Po. 22-10-13 K.B. ?? ... Liberia ... Freetown. 7-11-13 Blackie... 5? ... Mendi ... Fernando Po. 14-11-13 James ... 5? ... n ... ... Freetown. 17-11-13 Bai 5? ... Kwaia ... Malenki. 28-11-13 C.N. Allen Town Sierra Leone Allen Town. 17-12-13 Karey ... Freetown j, Congo.