Annual report of the Medical Department / Colony of Seychelles.

  • Seychelles. Medical Department.
Date:
[1937]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Colony of Seychelles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    41/46 (page 33)
    Appendix B. ANNUAL MEDICAL REPORT OP THE ASSISTANT MEDICAL OFFICER PRASLIN AND LA DIGUE For the Year 1337. The Medical and Sanitary work of the district was carried out by Dr. Runyan during1 the greater part of the ytar till I was transferred to the district in November. Presumably there was no epidemic outbreak of any disease lefore my arrival and none since E came over, and so the geneial health of the population during the year can be inferred as good. Venereal Clinics. Venereal disease are only too common in this district. There is a venereal clinic attached to the Cottage Elospital Fiaslin where anti-syphilic treatment was given on every Friday. Weekly clinic was held in La Digue also. On the whole 466 Bicreol injections were given during tins year at tfcese clinics. Out Patients. 2,463 patients received free treatment at the Government dispensaries of Bay Ste Anne, Grand’ Anse and La Digue this year, against 1,659 patients in 1936. The number of male and female patient in each month is appended in tabular form. Vaccination. 1936. 134 children received primary vaccination during this year as against 129 Number of children vaccinated in La Digue ... 56 Number of children vaccinated in Praslin ... 8 Successful 1st time 119 2nd time 19 J) 4th time 1 Unsuccessful after 5 times 3 Tt TAL 134 in Ankylostomiasis Campaign : Regular weekly treatment was given at Bay St. Anne, Grand Anse and La Digue for ankylostomiasis and other intestinal worms-. Oleum Chenopodium was the vermifuge employed followed, by a purge of Magnesium sulphate or Castor oil. On the whole 2520 persons received this treatment as against 2163 in 1936. The nnmber of indivi¬ duals who received treatment in the different centres is appended in tabular form. School Inspection. All the schools of the district were inspected before the end of the year and the report thereon has already been forwarded. It is worthy of note that one chilc^ was discovered to be suffering from maculo-anaesthetic type of lepresy, in the toy’s school of La Digue. This case can be classed as N 1. Anti-Leprosy Campaign. Immediately after the discovery of N 1 fype of leprosy in the above mentioned school toy, all his contacts were thoroughly examined. But none of them, who were nine in all, was found to be seffering from the disease, and no history of any contact with any leper could be elicited. As this is only a very early case and not at all infectious according to our present knowledge, he was not declared as a leper, but was asked to attend the leprosy clinic for weekly injections of hydnocreol. Ele is regularly getting the treatment and he is already showing slight imprrvement in his condition. There were 18 cases of leprosy under home isolation in Praslin and 4 cases in La Dmue in the beginning of the year. As there was no new cases added to this number nor any taken away from this n umber either by discharge or by death, the number remains the same at tlf@ * end of the year. In the male leper camp Praslin there were 24 inmates at the beginning of the year. An advanced N 3 case (an old man) died in December thus living 23 inmates at the end of the year. All the lepers of the district were given weekly injections of hydnccreol at the respective leprosy clinics. Cottage Hospital Praslin :— Nurse Gendron from the Fiennes Institute was posted t<? the cottage Hospital in July, when Nurse Collie, the former nurse was transferred to Victoria. As there is no d spenser attached to this hospital the nurse is helping in giving chloroform for patients when required and in dispensing mixtures. She accompanies the medical officer to Grand Anse and La Digue during his weekly visits to these places. With the increasing number of patients attending these dispensaries especially that of la Digue, now a davs, without the assistant of the nurse the Medical Officer. Will not be able to cope with the work, This is possible became in the alsence of the nurse from the hospital, the patients in hospital can be attended by Miss Lucie Gendron, the district midwife of Praslin who is resid¬ ing at the Hospital Quarters. Thusmw the nurse of the Cottage Hospital has the long wanted aid in the district midwife. I strongly recommend that this is allowed to continue in future also, at least until such time as a trained dispenser is posted to the Cottage Hospital. The statistics of the Cottage Hospital is herewith appended. P. M. JOSEPH,