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46
The Committee regret that so few medical students have
hitherto availed themselves of the facilities afforded to them
for studying, in the Managers' Hospitals, infectious diseases
that they cannot hope to see in General Hospitals. The importance
of the subject, both to themselves and to the public, is
great. " The increasing percentage of errors in diagnosis
during the past four years (from 2.4 per cent. to 4.9 per
cent.) makes it desirable, in the interest of public health, that
steps should be taken to include a practical knowledge of the
diseases treated in the Managers' Hospitals in the curriculum
of education for medical students."
Of 26 cases of small-pox treated at the Hospital Ships
at Long Reach, 24 were admitted in the first half of the year,
and they came from nine different parishes or unions. Fortunately,
isolation and disinfection were effectual to prevent the
spread of the disease.
Of 1420 persons employed in the hospitals 63, or 4.4 per
cent., fell ill with fever, diphtheria or measles, and seven died.
The total cases of scarlet fever treated in the hospitals since
1871 were 39,021; of typhus fever 2268 cases; of enteric fever
7312 cases; of diphtheria (since October, 1888) 1763 cases; of
"other diseases" (including 218 cases of relapsing fever) 4840
cases; total cases 55,204. The mortality of the cases was: relapsing
fever 12.84; diphtheria 37.52; typhus fever 20.90, and enteric
fever 18.26 per cent. At the small-pox hospitals 58,007 cases
have been admitted, viz. : 56,974 of small-pox and 1033 of
" other diseasesThe deaths were 9858 (including 47 from
" other diseases ") or 17.30 per cent. Comparing the mortality
per 1000 of estimated population of London, from scarlet
fever during the 13 years preceding the establishment of the
Managers' Hospitals, with the mortality during the past 13
years, the latter shows an average decrease of 1.30 per cent.
There has also been a decreasing percentage of mortality from
this disease amongst patients in the hospitals, "probably due,