Annual medical and sanitary report / Uganda Protectorate.

  • Uganda Protectorate. Medical Department.
Date:
[1912]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical and sanitary report / Uganda Protectorate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/82 (page 7)
    It is too soon after the close of the financial year to be in a position to say what the actual expenditure has been, but so far as can be seen at present the estimate will not be exceeded, although the savings will probably be small. Revenue.—The only sources of revenue are hospital fees and sale of medical and surgical stores. It was estimated that the former would realise £100 and the latter £50. The actual revenue in the former case will probably be approximately as estimated, and in the latter case it will probably be more than double the estimate. SECTION II. PUBLIC HEALTH. (a) GENERAL REMARKS. Taking all circumstances into consideration, the conditions of general health may be considered to have made satisfactory progress during the year. There has been an increase of over 27,000 in the total number of cases treated, but this is due to a larger population having been dealt with and to the increased confidence shown by the native in European methods of treatment, and not to any actual increase of sickness. There has been a marked increase in the prevalence of diseases of the respiratory organs among natives, the number of cases treated being 13,466, as compared with 7,863 last year. There has also been a notable increase in blackwater fever among Europeans and Asiatics. The increased number of cases under the former head is no doubt partly due to the increased general attendance referred to above, but that there was also an actual increased prevalence, probably to be accounted for by unusually persistent and heavy rains, is shown by the native returns, in which 1,823 deaths are attributed to “ chest complaints,” as against 1,547 last year. The native returns show a satisfactory decrease in the number of deaths attributed to the more common communicable diseases, namely, dysentery from 1,087 to 759, plague from 1,961 to 1,282, sleeping sickness from 1,486 to 932, small-pox from 1,044 to 519, and measles from 537 to 289. These returns, however, are not received from Bukeddi, but only a special return for plague, which shows 1,659 deaths, as against 1,773 last year for that district. The diseases calling for special attention are plagoe, venereal diseases, spirillum fever, leprosy and sleeping sickness among natives, and malaria and blackwater fever among Europeans and Asiatics. The death returns compiled from both official and native sources, the latter of which are not very reliable as regards diagnosis, show that “ fevers ” (a very comprehensive term, but probably including chiefly malarial and spirillum fevers), venereal diseases, respiratory affections, muhinyo (which includes Mediterranean fever and probably several other diseases), plague, parturition, paralysis and sleeping sickness, in the order named, were the ehief causes of mortality. The number of deaths attributed by natives to “ child-birth,” namely, 1,049 for 30,469 living births, as against 821 for 28,363 living births last year, is a high one, and shows that our efforts to inculcate the principles of simple hygiene should be continued and extended if possible. Unfortunately, the native customs and prejudices in relation to pregnancy and lying-in and the