The medical report for the State of Selangor.

  • Selangor.
Date:
[1903]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

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    FEDERATED MALAY STATES. STATE OE SELANGOR. ANNUAL REPORT ON THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT FOR THE YEAR 1903. POPULATION. The estimated population of the State on 31st December, 1903, was 216,923. Two- thousand two hundred and two births and six thousand six hundred and eighty-nine deaths were reported during the year. The birth-rate calculated as for the population of the State at the end of the year was- 10.151 per mille, and the death-rate 30.835 per mille. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITION OE THE SEASONS. The total rainfall registered at Kuala Lumpur was 89.89 inches as against 116.40 inches in 1902. As is usually the case, the heaviest rainfall occurred in the last three months of the year. The month of July was an exceptionally dry one, only 0.20 inch having been recorded, as against an average for the last 25 years of 3.94 inches. The mean temperature was 80.1° F. as against 81° F. in 1902. The maximum tem¬ perature registered at Kuala Lumpur, was 93° F. and the minimum 68° F. PREVALENCE OE SICKNESS AND RELATIVE MORTALITY IN DIFFERENT SEASONS. Ko special effect of season on the health of the inhabitants or on the relative mortality was noted. NUMBER OF PATIENTS TREATED IN THE VARIOUS HOSPITALS AND INFIRMARIES. The number of patients treated, with deaths and death-rate during the last five years, is shown in the following table:— Year. No. treated. Deaths. Death-rate. 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 12,371 17,963 21,351 18,173 14,425 1,437 2,419 2,797 2,087 1,872 11.61 13.43 13.10 11.48 12.97 There has been a reduction of 3,748 in the number of cases treated as in-patients as compared to the total for 1902. This is mainly due to the closing of the railway hospital at, Kajang, where 1,822 patients were treated in 1902, the vastly improved health of the prisoners in the Pudoh Gaol, where only 295 cases were treated as against 1,169 in 1902,. and a reduction of 686 in the number of cases treated in the Ulu Selangor hospitals. The number of deaths occurring in all hospitals was 1,872 as against 2,087 in the previous year. This is the lowest number of deaths in hospital since 1899, which is satisfactory in view of the steady increase in the population of the State. The death-rate for all hospitals was 12.97 per cent, as against 11.48 per cent, in 1902. Two hundred and forty-nine patients were admitted in a practically moribund condition and died within forty-eight hours of coming to hospital. Most of these patients were brought in by their friends in order to avoid the expense and. inconvenience of burial.