Operative surgery in the Calcutta Medical College Hospital : statistics, cases and comments / by Kenneth McLeod.

Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Operative surgery in the Calcutta Medical College Hospital : statistics, cases and comments / by Kenneth McLeod. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    convalescents or incurables in Calcutta, and patients C'l-'- have therefore to be detained longer than in cities where special provision is made for these classes. (3) Patients.—The patients treated in the Medical ^^'^^^^f College Hospital are, as has been already stated, mostly treated drawn from Calcutta, its suburbs, and the neiglibouring districts. The acconunodation at the disposal of the first surgeon provides for 33 native males, 8 native females, 16 Cliristian males, and 4 Christian females; besides a few natives and Christians treated in pri- vate and paying wards. The term Christian denotes rather liabits of life and food than religion or race, and includes Europeans, Eurasians, Jews, Armenians, Chinese, and some few native Christians. The great majority of the subjects of operation included in this work were Hindus, next come Mahomedans, next Eurasians; and the number of Europeans, Jews, &c., is very small. The reason is that the Christians more fre(pieuLly seek admission for slight affections, not reipiiring operative treatment, than natives. The pro- portion of cases among them requiring operation is therefore smaller than among natives. The native of Lower Hengal is physically of feeble ^^'o-^iqu^^^^^ type. His temperament is of the filjrous or bilious type, Avith a strong nervous element in the higher classes, and a lymphatic tendency in the lower. The races of Upper India exhibit arthritic features, but these are entirely absent in the organization of the Bengalees. Their circumstances and habits of life are not favourable to tlie development of a vigorous phy- sique, to good health, longevity, or strong vital resistance. Tliey live for the most part in crowded and hlthy Habits of life, villages, they lead lives of toil and pri\ ation, tliey drink foul water, subsist on a sparing dietary composed mostly of rice, vegetables, oil, and spices, to whicli vetches, fish, and very rarely flesh and milk, are added wlien they are able to afford it. They live in the midst of malaria, and are constantly harassed by fever and its