The Straits Settlements medical report.

  • Straits Settlements. Medical Department.
Date:
[1915]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Straits Settlements medical report. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    51/120 (page 51)
    4. Twenty-two Necropsies on patients dying in the hospital were performed during the year 1915. 5. Medico-legal.—The Coroner sent in 43 dead bodies for post-mortem exami¬ nation. Forty-three inquests were held. The Police sent up 182 cases for examination or treatment including 15 for observation of Insanity and 11 for Leprosy. Medical evidence was given in the Courts on 41 occasions. 6. A case of congenital tumour which appeared to be of malignant nature growing from the Periosteum covering the anterior surface of the Coccyx, was removed successfully. On account of the rarity of such a growth in this region, it is interesting to record this case. The subject was a Chinese girl aged one year. The mother gave a history of a swelling of the size of a small orange growing bigger gradually along the posterior wall of the anus. It was not noticeable until the child was a month old. When brought to the hospital, the patient was markedly cachetic. The growth had attained the size of the child's head. The skin was adherent in places to the subjacent tumour and showed numerous distended venules. Ulceration was begin¬ ning at many points on the surface. A part of the coccyx had to be removed, as also a small portion of the lowest portion of the rectum to which the tumour was intimately adherent. The child made a good recovery and had no incontinence of faeces on leaving the hospital six weeks later. No local recurrence or metastatic growth has appeared up to the present—six months since the operation. On section the contents of the Cyst were a dark blood-stained fluid of a treacly consistence. Unfortunately no microscopic examination of the Cyst-wall was made. In passing, mention may be made of the new antiseptic prepared from Calcium Chloride and Boric Acid which was tried with conspicuous success in this case. It is easy to prepare and has invariably given excellent results in this hospital. 8. Ankylostomiasis.— One hundred and twenty-nine cases were treated during the year with 16 deaths. The percentage of mortality was 12.40. The immediate cause of death in several cases was cardiac failure presumably from degeneration pro¬ duced by chronic anaemia. In others, it was exhaustion and toxaemia from supervening ulcerative colitis. The high mortality was due to neglect on the part of the patient or relatives in the early stage of the disease. One hundred and twenty-five specimens of stool after the usual treatment were examined and all the worms saved and examined. In 2 cases only, there wTas mixed infection of Necator and Ankylostome and in the remaining 123 all the worms proved to be the Necator only. The stools of 35 Malay boys from the Vernacular School at Sungei Bakap were examined. In seven of them ova of Ankylostoma were discovered. All these 7 boys were living in kampongs adjoining some plantations. 9. Dysentery.—Twenty-three cases were treated with 8 deaths. Mortality was 34*78. The majority of the cases were in the chronic stage. Twenty specimens of stool were examined for Amaeba and in 6 cases Amaeba living or dead, was demonstrated. 10. Vaccination.—Nine hundred and eighty-three children were vaccinated in the Southern District with 15 failures. 11. The health of the Police has been good. There were 19 admissions to hospital with no deaths. 12. Rainfall.— The total rainfall registered was 104.57 as compared with 107.42 in 1914. Surgical Operations performed in Province Wellesley during i9*5- No. of cases. Cured. Relieved. Died. On Tumours:— (a) Excision of non-malignant growths ... 7 7 (b) Excision of Cyst ... 2 2