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92
WESTERN HOSPITAL.
The annual report of the Statistical Committee of the
Asylums Board will have appended to it a summary of the
work of the Western Hospital, by Dr. Bruce, the Medical
Superintendent, from whose annual report we learn that the
number of cases treated in 1892, was 2,436, an increase of nearly
50 per cent. on the number in 1891. The admissions were
2,287, the discharges, including transfers, 1,912, the deaths 196.
At the end of the year 317 cases remained in hospital. Of
the admissions 1,900, or 83 per cent., were scarlet fever ; 247
diphtheria; 38 enteric fever. Three cases of typhus were
admitted from Kensington (vide page 46); 99 persons suffered
from "other diseases." Seventy-three per cent, of the
discharged cases were transferred to the Convalescent Hospitals
of the Board, a fact which illustrates the value of these
Institutions, and the desirability of an increase in their number.
The per-centage mortality was 8.91. The mortality of
the several diseases was as follows:— Scarlet Fever 5.71 per
cent., including 12 deaths from diphtheria contracted during
convalescence; Enteric Fever, 4.81 per cent. ; Diphtheria, 31.95
per cent.; "other diseases" 13.87 per cent. The per-centage
death-rate of the Scarlet Fever admission under five years
of age was 15.5: at all ages above five years, it was only
1.79. In twenty-three cases of scarlet fever, diphtheritic symptoms
supervened. Five of these cases presented membrane
on the throat when admitted; 18 of the completed cases
contracted the disease during convalesence,—or 1.03 per cent.,
compared with 1.2 per cent. in 1891, and 3.2 in 1890. Nineteen
cases developed measles, of whom four died. Eleven cases
were complicated with non-fatal whooping-cough. The enteric
fever cases were fewer than usual, and the disease was of a mild
type. The diphtheria admissions were 117 in excess of those
in 1891. The female sufferers exceeded the males at every
age-period above one year; the mortality was also slightly