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.

    2/22 (page 2)
    PREVAILING DISEASES. The following diseases caused the greater amount of sickness and mortality:—- Disease. No. treated. Deaths. Death-rate. 1902. 1903. 1902. 1903. 1902. 1903. Malarial fevers ... 2,977 1,980 174 153 5.84 7o 7.72 % Beri-beri ... 2,673 1,912 325 351 12.15 „ 18.35 „ Diarrhoea 1,515 1,074 528 359 34.85 „ 32.42 „ Dysentery 973 638 320 229 32.88 „ 35.89 „ Pulmonary diseases 850 811 241 266 28.35 „ 32.79 „ BOWEL COMPLAINTS. I am glad to he able to report a large reduction both in the number of cases treated and the number of deaths from this form of disease. The figures for the last three years are as follows :— Year. Total treated. Deaths. Death-rate. 1901 3,826 1,143 29.8 per cent. 1902 2,488 848 34.0 „ 1903 1,712 588 34.3 „ Improvements in water supply, drainage and general sanitation are, I consider, mainly responsible for the marked decrease in the number of cases of this group of diseases. MALARIAL FEVERS. The returns relating to malaria also show very marked improvement. Year. Total treated. Deaths. Death-rate. 1901 5,445 322 5.9 per cent. 1902 2,977 174 5.8 „ 1903 1,980 153 7.7 „ The great reduction in the number of cases of malaria occurring in the State may be attributed to a very great extent to the sanitary work carried out by Government at Klang and Port Swettenlianr There is little doubt but that in former years the Klang district acted as a distributing centre for malaria, persons suffering from the disease carrying it about the State and through the agency of mosquitoes giving the disease to others and often introducing it into districts where it previously seldom occurred. That the decrease in malaria in the Klang district, which was the subject of special report to Government, has steadily continued, is well shown by the following figures. CASES OF MALARIA WITH NUMBER OP DEATHS FROM THAT DISEASE AT DISTRICT HOSPITAL, IvLANG, DURING THE LAST FOUR YEARS. Year. Cases treated. Deaths. 1900 1901 1902 1903 477 ... 31 820 ... 70 417 ... 32) Sanitary work carried out at 230 ... 19 ) Klang and Port Swettenham The anti-malarial campaign which was carried out with such success at Klang and Port Swettenham in 1902 has been continued during the past year; the work taken in hand being more especially permanent drainage. A large tract of mangrove swamp at Port Swettenham has now been converted into well-drained and flourishing pasture. BERI-BERI. The number of cases of this disease treated during the year was 1,912 with 351 deaths, as against 2,673 with 325 deaths in the previous year. The percentage of deaths being 18.3 and 12.15, respectively. This marked difference is mainly due to the comparative absence of beri-beri from the Pudoh Gaol during the past year. Deducting the numbers treated in the Pudoli Gaol the figures are as follows. Year. Total cases. Deaths. Percentage of deaths. 1902 . 1,772 ... 308 ... 17.4 1903 . 1,867 ... 349 ... 18.9 Thus, excluding the returns from the Pudoh Gaol, there as been a slight increase of beri¬ beri with a corresponding increase in death-rate.