The medical report for the State of Selangor.

  • Selangor.
Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The medical report for the State of Selangor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/32 (page 5)
    The total deaths among in-patients included 75 Chinese, 163 Tamils, 17 Bengalis, six Sikhs, six Malays, four Japanese, four Eurasians, two Singhalese, one Javanese, and one European. Of the total, 193 were males, and 86 females. PREVAILING DISEASES. The prevailing diseases treated in the General Hospital were malarial fever (1,820 with 80 deaths), dysentery (269 with 39 deaths), diseases of the lungs (127 with 38 deaths), and beri-beri (118 with five deaths). The increase of malaria, which was especially evident at the close of the year, is notable. In 1907, 1,002 cases were admitted with 69 deaths, which in itself was a great increase when compared to the two former years—viz., in 1906, 324 cases with 29 deaths, and in 1905, 238 cases with 29 deaths. The numbers in 1908 are again largely compiled from the admissions of coolies coming from newly-opened rubber estates in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur. The sub-tertian, or so called “ malignant ” parasite (832 cases) and the benign tertian parasite (511 cases) were the most frequently found in the routine examinations of blood which were carried out in the hospital during the year. The reduction in the number of deaths from dysentery in 1908 (39 out of 269 cases treated) is a feature of the work done; in 1907, the numbers were 240 with 56 deaths. The mortality from beri-beri is remarkedly small, showing a further improvement on the excellent results obtained in 1907, when 116 cases were treated with seven deaths only. A diet of “ cured ” rice was given in almost every case under treatment. It may be noted, how¬ ever, that Chinese immigrant labourers, who suffer as a class out of all proportion to other natives from beri-beri, only form a very small proportion of the total number of patients treated in this particular hospital. An even more satisfactory feature of the year under review is to be found in the statistics relating to diseases of the lungs, which show only 14 deaths from phthisis out of 62 cases, as compared to 22 deaths from this disease in 1907 out of 90 cases treated. The decrease in the prevalence and death-rate for enteric fever recorded in the Annual Report for 1907 is further exemplified in 1908. I give the figures for the last five years : Tear. 1904 No. of cases. 14 Deaths. 4 1905 • • • • • • • • • • • « • • • 38 9 1906 • • • • • i • • • • • • ... 49 12 1907 • • • • »• • • • • • t 24 10 1908 . . . • • • • • • • i • 13 4 There were 341 venereal cases with eight deaths, the diseases being primary and consti¬ tutional syphilis, and gonorrhoea with its sequela:1. OPERATIONS. Four hundred and eighty-three surgical operations were performed under chloroform. Of these, 20 were major, and 463 were minor operations. FEMALE WARD. The total number of native females treated in the wards was 985, the daily average- 61.31—being much higher, and the percentage of deaths—8.97—much lower than 'in the three preceding years. The table below is given for comparison : Tear. Daily average. Percentage of deaths. 1906 . 31.09 11.09 1907 . 49.28 10.02 1908 . 61.31 8.97 The nationalities were Tamils 595, Chinese 156, Japanese 190, and others 44. In the Maternity Ward there were 30 cases with no deaths; of the total number, four were instrumental cases. OUT-PATIENTS. The attendance of out-door patients at the General Hospital, including casualties treated at the Surgical Ward, shows an enormous increase of 4,423. The figures are given below : At General Hospital Dispensary in 1907 „ „ ‘ 1908 Surgical Ward in 1907 ,, ,, 1908 Police „ 1907 . 1908 . 13,708 16,892 1,936 3,375 5,880 5,681 99