that no more men
except cover
were
to be
put in
the ward tlian
could
the floor, though careful measurements had evidently been
by some one who must have given the question a thought. Ventilation, also, was of the most imperfect character I have ever seen ; the bedding was very inferior to that supplied in India. The dry earth system found no place in the prison, and the approach to a certain place was a formidable undertaking. The high mortality which necessarily attends such arrangements was worthy of note, and a warning to us not to retrograde from our present position in India; 115 per 1,000 was
made of each room,
it during the last year, and for the year before close upon 300 per mille. This is as near as I could make out the mortality, after enquiry in more quarters than one. I found the indeed, iu at Colombo a far different the death-rate was
most
Correspondent has favoured us with a few rough notes on his recent journey to England. Proceeding to European latitudes in the Mongolia, he dwells much on the comfort of that ship, that even under boisterous seas, the cabin ports can be kept open, "a fact yliich, you will understand, is of unspeakMedical men able comfort, especially to invalid passengers." should, I think, notice these things, and express a sense of their value, so that the builders of ships, or the companies who " I own them, may see how such comforts are appreciated." would notice, too, the food on board the Mongolia, and express the thankfulness of an invalid at sitting down daily at a gentleman's table, and not being distressed with the sight, or flavour A
"
of greasy and unsavoury
provender."
occurred, which occasioned much temporary anxiety to the 30 or 40 mothers on board ; a rumour spread that n rash, resembling measles, had broken out on the body of a child. Such accidents have happened, and been the cause of dire suffering to many ; it fortunately, however, turned out to be ephemeral; but the question arose why there should not be, on board these ships, a hospital berth or two, separated from the rest of the cabins, where contagious diseases could be kept apart, and cared for as they required." No such contingency is provided against; but it is one that has only, I am sure, seriously to be brought to the notice of the to secure due attention ; great Peninsula and Oriental Company the solution is easy?a separate cabin, opening on some wellventilated spot, away from the rest of the people on board," One incident
"
"
He shall now tell his story in his own words. In Ceylon, I visited some of the public institutions ; among
others, the jail at Kandy, which I found filled Indian
prisoners,
serving
as
coolies
men on
who had
been
ooffee estates.
principally of crimes
guilty Kandy jail put
The
with whilo me
in
jail of the olden time, before we had Inspectors of Prisons, or the thought tliat petty crimes are not to be punished by the death of the criminal ; the thought that men are to be so punished, could never be that of the Kandyan authorities, but, in their desire to make the law a terror to evil-doers, they try to make the jails as uncomfortable as possible. They not long ago, I believe, introduced a penal diet, which pinches the stomach" of the prisoner during the first six; months of his residence in jail, and I was told that it is during the earlier part of their imprisonment, that the men die ; then, again, there was no provision made against over-crowding, mind of the out-station Indian
"
place,
jail
NOTES ON THE JOURNEY HOME.
respects,
a
model
prison
there, separate cells
;
on
an
punishment; these are carefully ventilated, and in the moderate and equable temperature of Ceylon, where there are no hot winds, they seem to answer admirably ; there are also some good barracks, and great cleanliness is observed. The penal rice diet holds good, however, and the death-rate which, the year before last was, I was told, 117 per 1,000, is still 70 per 1,000, and that, too, independent of epidemics. The evil of over-crowding is well understood here, and to prevent it, prisoners free from sickness were located in the hospital, a measure which was not attended apparently witli any mischief, as no contagious disease was in the place ; though, of course, this is a hazardous and objectionable arrangement. Shot drill was in use in both jails, and would seem to be just the thing for our Indian pi'isons. The objectless tediousness of spending three or four hours each day in carrying from one spot to another a heavy lump of iron, appears more suitable work for prisoners than carpet weaving, or any of the other easy occupations that make money, but do not act as preventives extensive scale are used
as
a
means
of
of crime.
singular plan of placing the shot on a tripod, about two high, was adopted, I was told, at the recommendation of the medical authorities, who objected to the men stooping to pick up the shot from the ground, lest it should causo rupture of the spleen and death. The necessity and value of the advice will hardly be appreciated in India, where the whole population of coolies have no tripods on which to rest the baskets and their burdens that they raise to their heads iu their every-day The
feet
work.
The severity of the additional labour of stooping to pick up shot, might render the duration of drill shorter, and leave more time for the remunerative labour of prisoners, and keep
the
down
the burden of their maintenance, which falls on the
poorest
men.
We are now at Suez ; and the horrors of the
through Egypt
has to be endured.
perhaps will glad at being
terra
think on
Horror is
applicable, as most people firma, and approaching
sick and feeble invalid, however, it is down all
as
a
a
passage
word that few are
happy
great trial
and
To the
home.
to
be set
with no power to rest or sleep It is the more felt while the luxury of the Indian
one
night.
of eight in
Railway
Railway carriage
is not
is denied the relief of
a
carriage,
forgotten,
lying
where
no
lady or sick posture.
in the recumbent
persot)
June 1, The
VACCINATION IN THE PUNJAB.
I860.]
charge made by
the
Egyptian
Government for the
train which the P. and O. service obtain, is
just
special
about double
ordinary rates for the passenger going from Suez to Alexanwould, therefore, be but a small boon for that Government to grant to the P. and O. that, on the recommendation of
the
dria ; it
the medical officer
on
This could
length. Supplied readily enough be granted, if one or two of the present secondclass carriages were made over for the purpose, as in them the seats are padded, and there are no divisions as in the present first-class. If, however, carriages like those in India, with the folding-up bed, were used by the Egyptian Government, the difficulty would be got over without much trouble or expense. This subject should be taken up by the medical authorities in India, as many invalids are now sent round the Cape often merely to avoid this part of the homeward route. At Alexandria, through the kindness of Dr. Mackie, Surgeon to the British Consulate, I saw all the hospitals, or most of them, both European and Native. It would repay medical travellers through Alexandria, to visit these, and see what is being done professionally. One of the most interesting diseases here, to us in India at least, is " hepatic abscess," which is unusually frequent among some portions of the community, especially the Greeks, who form quite a polony of foreigners in this city. In a small Greek hospital, I saw three cases doing well, that had been operated upon successfully, and so common is the disease, that in the autumn months, 50 per cent, of the cases under treatment are hepatic abscess. What particularly struck me was the freedom with which operations on the lirer were talked of and performed. Dr. Mackie told mo that, some three years ago, on reading a paper on hepatic absccss, in the Lancet, by an Indian surgeon, he was impressed by the remarks there made, on the immunity from evd efforts, that followed surgical interference with the substance of the liver. The paper insisted on the safety and necessity of early operation in abscess of the liver. Immediately after, some favourable cases presented themselves, and were successfully operated on by Dr. Ogilvie (Bey), his late colleague, and himself. Since then numerous cases have been operated on, and they have established the practice in Alexandria of proceeding to evacuate the matter immediately it is believed to have formed. Their experience has led them to couclude against the advisability of waiting till fluctuation is distinct, or the occurrence of the abscess pointing externally, before putting in the knife. Indeed, they believe that, at such a stage, operation is little likely to be successful in saving the patient. Dr. Lancaroli, statistics
on
this
a
Greek physician, has made
subject,
which he proposes
Some of these are that, out of are
lost, while of those not
cases
operated
some
valuable
publishing shortly.
on, 30 per cent, on, 85 per cent. die.
operated
mortality on the abscess certainly aro not in acsingular, observations; ho states that only seven
His observations on the rate of
bursting
into the
antiseptio character of the air in tho lungs acted us atmosphere, and would lead to an extension of the practice begun in Calcutta of opening such
lungs
is
cordance with my Indian
and
It would be a great matter per cent, of these cases prove fatal. fact also of what turn out statistical to a true be should if this it would
some
occurs
also in Indian
cause
of death after operation; to theorize upon it, it looks
practice,
as
give
clue to the
if the
as
a
purifier
of the external
abscesses under
the influence
or
syringing
out with carbolic
acid. As liver abscess is shewn to be one of the most fatal dis-
board the steamers, all invalids should be
with room to he down at full
123
eases
in India
by Bryden's Tables,
and
one
in the cure of which
have made no progress of late years, the
we
subject
is
surely
peculiarly interesting. opportunities in India arc but too numerous of studying disease, especially in tho European army. This mode of attempting a cure is also essentially belonging to India : it was originally essayed in that country by Dr. Murray, InspectorGeneral of Her Majesty's army, and it has been successfully and largely practised by his nephew, tho present head of tho Bengal Medical Department, who, over a long series of years, has been most earnest in inculcating his opinions and practice. In Alexandria (lie disease is by far the most common among one class of people, tho ill-fed Greek population, who are addicted to Rakki" the native liquor of the place j the better class of Greeks do not suffer; nor do the Greeks of the lower orders suffer in Corfu, and tho other Greek islands, which are close to Alexandria. There is plenty of malarious ground near The
the
"
Alexandria, but there is the
same
in Corfu ; drink and malaria
to be the two grand combinations best suited appear, however, for the generation of abscess of the liver in Egypt; is it not so
also in India.
Spleen
disease is
Alexandria, and India.
rarely
most
of
seen us
when the liver is
enlarged
in
have witnessed the same fact in
except cover
were
to be
put in
the ward tlian
could
the floor, though careful measurements had evidently been
by some one who must have given the question a thought. Ventilation, also, was of the most imperfect character I have ever seen ; the bedding was very inferior to that supplied in India. The dry earth system found no place in the prison, and the approach to a certain place was a formidable undertaking. The high mortality which necessarily attends such arrangements was worthy of note, and a warning to us not to retrograde from our present position in India; 115 per 1,000 was
made of each room,
it during the last year, and for the year before close upon 300 per mille. This is as near as I could make out the mortality, after enquiry in more quarters than one. I found the indeed, iu at Colombo a far different the death-rate was
most
Correspondent has favoured us with a few rough notes on his recent journey to England. Proceeding to European latitudes in the Mongolia, he dwells much on the comfort of that ship, that even under boisterous seas, the cabin ports can be kept open, "a fact yliich, you will understand, is of unspeakMedical men able comfort, especially to invalid passengers." should, I think, notice these things, and express a sense of their value, so that the builders of ships, or the companies who " I own them, may see how such comforts are appreciated." would notice, too, the food on board the Mongolia, and express the thankfulness of an invalid at sitting down daily at a gentleman's table, and not being distressed with the sight, or flavour A
"
of greasy and unsavoury
provender."
occurred, which occasioned much temporary anxiety to the 30 or 40 mothers on board ; a rumour spread that n rash, resembling measles, had broken out on the body of a child. Such accidents have happened, and been the cause of dire suffering to many ; it fortunately, however, turned out to be ephemeral; but the question arose why there should not be, on board these ships, a hospital berth or two, separated from the rest of the cabins, where contagious diseases could be kept apart, and cared for as they required." No such contingency is provided against; but it is one that has only, I am sure, seriously to be brought to the notice of the to secure due attention ; great Peninsula and Oriental Company the solution is easy?a separate cabin, opening on some wellventilated spot, away from the rest of the people on board," One incident
"
"
He shall now tell his story in his own words. In Ceylon, I visited some of the public institutions ; among
others, the jail at Kandy, which I found filled Indian
prisoners,
serving
as
coolies
men on
who had
been
ooffee estates.
principally of crimes
guilty Kandy jail put
The
with whilo me
in
jail of the olden time, before we had Inspectors of Prisons, or the thought tliat petty crimes are not to be punished by the death of the criminal ; the thought that men are to be so punished, could never be that of the Kandyan authorities, but, in their desire to make the law a terror to evil-doers, they try to make the jails as uncomfortable as possible. They not long ago, I believe, introduced a penal diet, which pinches the stomach" of the prisoner during the first six; months of his residence in jail, and I was told that it is during the earlier part of their imprisonment, that the men die ; then, again, there was no provision made against over-crowding, mind of the out-station Indian
"
place,
jail
NOTES ON THE JOURNEY HOME.
respects,
a
model
prison
there, separate cells
;
on
an
punishment; these are carefully ventilated, and in the moderate and equable temperature of Ceylon, where there are no hot winds, they seem to answer admirably ; there are also some good barracks, and great cleanliness is observed. The penal rice diet holds good, however, and the death-rate which, the year before last was, I was told, 117 per 1,000, is still 70 per 1,000, and that, too, independent of epidemics. The evil of over-crowding is well understood here, and to prevent it, prisoners free from sickness were located in the hospital, a measure which was not attended apparently witli any mischief, as no contagious disease was in the place ; though, of course, this is a hazardous and objectionable arrangement. Shot drill was in use in both jails, and would seem to be just the thing for our Indian pi'isons. The objectless tediousness of spending three or four hours each day in carrying from one spot to another a heavy lump of iron, appears more suitable work for prisoners than carpet weaving, or any of the other easy occupations that make money, but do not act as preventives extensive scale are used
as
a
means
of
of crime.
singular plan of placing the shot on a tripod, about two high, was adopted, I was told, at the recommendation of the medical authorities, who objected to the men stooping to pick up the shot from the ground, lest it should causo rupture of the spleen and death. The necessity and value of the advice will hardly be appreciated in India, where the whole population of coolies have no tripods on which to rest the baskets and their burdens that they raise to their heads iu their every-day The
feet
work.
The severity of the additional labour of stooping to pick up shot, might render the duration of drill shorter, and leave more time for the remunerative labour of prisoners, and keep
the
down
the burden of their maintenance, which falls on the
poorest
men.
We are now at Suez ; and the horrors of the
through Egypt
has to be endured.
perhaps will glad at being
terra
think on
Horror is
applicable, as most people firma, and approaching
sick and feeble invalid, however, it is down all
as
a
a
passage
word that few are
happy
great trial
and
To the
home.
to
be set
with no power to rest or sleep It is the more felt while the luxury of the Indian
one
night.
of eight in
Railway
Railway carriage
is not
is denied the relief of
a
carriage,
forgotten,
lying
where
no
lady or sick posture.
in the recumbent
persot)
June 1, The
VACCINATION IN THE PUNJAB.
I860.]
charge made by
the
Egyptian
Government for the
train which the P. and O. service obtain, is
just
special
about double
ordinary rates for the passenger going from Suez to Alexanwould, therefore, be but a small boon for that Government to grant to the P. and O. that, on the recommendation of
the
dria ; it
the medical officer
on
This could
length. Supplied readily enough be granted, if one or two of the present secondclass carriages were made over for the purpose, as in them the seats are padded, and there are no divisions as in the present first-class. If, however, carriages like those in India, with the folding-up bed, were used by the Egyptian Government, the difficulty would be got over without much trouble or expense. This subject should be taken up by the medical authorities in India, as many invalids are now sent round the Cape often merely to avoid this part of the homeward route. At Alexandria, through the kindness of Dr. Mackie, Surgeon to the British Consulate, I saw all the hospitals, or most of them, both European and Native. It would repay medical travellers through Alexandria, to visit these, and see what is being done professionally. One of the most interesting diseases here, to us in India at least, is " hepatic abscess," which is unusually frequent among some portions of the community, especially the Greeks, who form quite a polony of foreigners in this city. In a small Greek hospital, I saw three cases doing well, that had been operated upon successfully, and so common is the disease, that in the autumn months, 50 per cent, of the cases under treatment are hepatic abscess. What particularly struck me was the freedom with which operations on the lirer were talked of and performed. Dr. Mackie told mo that, some three years ago, on reading a paper on hepatic absccss, in the Lancet, by an Indian surgeon, he was impressed by the remarks there made, on the immunity from evd efforts, that followed surgical interference with the substance of the liver. The paper insisted on the safety and necessity of early operation in abscess of the liver. Immediately after, some favourable cases presented themselves, and were successfully operated on by Dr. Ogilvie (Bey), his late colleague, and himself. Since then numerous cases have been operated on, and they have established the practice in Alexandria of proceeding to evacuate the matter immediately it is believed to have formed. Their experience has led them to couclude against the advisability of waiting till fluctuation is distinct, or the occurrence of the abscess pointing externally, before putting in the knife. Indeed, they believe that, at such a stage, operation is little likely to be successful in saving the patient. Dr. Lancaroli, statistics
on
this
a
Greek physician, has made
subject,
which he proposes
Some of these are that, out of are
lost, while of those not
cases
operated
some
valuable
publishing shortly.
on, 30 per cent, on, 85 per cent. die.
operated
mortality on the abscess certainly aro not in acsingular, observations; ho states that only seven
His observations on the rate of
bursting
into the
antiseptio character of the air in tho lungs acted us atmosphere, and would lead to an extension of the practice begun in Calcutta of opening such
lungs
is
cordance with my Indian
and
It would be a great matter per cent, of these cases prove fatal. fact also of what turn out statistical to a true be should if this it would
some
occurs
also in Indian
cause
of death after operation; to theorize upon it, it looks
practice,
as
give
clue to the
if the
as
a
purifier
of the external
abscesses under
the influence
or
syringing
out with carbolic
acid. As liver abscess is shewn to be one of the most fatal dis-
board the steamers, all invalids should be
with room to he down at full
123
eases
in India
by Bryden's Tables,
and
one
in the cure of which
have made no progress of late years, the
we
subject
is
surely
peculiarly interesting. opportunities in India arc but too numerous of studying disease, especially in tho European army. This mode of attempting a cure is also essentially belonging to India : it was originally essayed in that country by Dr. Murray, InspectorGeneral of Her Majesty's army, and it has been successfully and largely practised by his nephew, tho present head of tho Bengal Medical Department, who, over a long series of years, has been most earnest in inculcating his opinions and practice. In Alexandria (lie disease is by far the most common among one class of people, tho ill-fed Greek population, who are addicted to Rakki" the native liquor of the place j the better class of Greeks do not suffer; nor do the Greeks of the lower orders suffer in Corfu, and tho other Greek islands, which are close to Alexandria. There is plenty of malarious ground near The
the
"
Alexandria, but there is the
same
in Corfu ; drink and malaria
to be the two grand combinations best suited appear, however, for the generation of abscess of the liver in Egypt; is it not so
also in India.
Spleen
disease is
Alexandria, and India.
rarely
most
of
seen us
when the liver is
enlarged
in
have witnessed the same fact in
