REPORT OF SURGEON SUPERINTENDENT OF HOKITIKA HOSPITAL.

West Coast Times, Issue 201, 11 May 1866, Page 2

REPORT OF SURGEON SUPERINTENDENT OF HOKITIKA HOSPITAL.

Tho number of out-door pationts for tho month was 6 ; making a total, troated by the Hospital of 74. ; J. RUTHERFORD RILEY, M.n.0.5.,8., Surgeon Superintendent.

Extract from the Report of the SurgeonSuperintendenl of the Hokitika Hospital. It will be seen from the table that we have now two of the three forms of continued fever known to English physicians, namely, typhoid, and relapsing or bilious remittent. The latter made its appearanco in the hospital about two months ago, and appears in my last month's report as bilious fever. I tbiuk there was a oase of it about this time last year, but the fever had disappeared before I saw the case, and it , appears in my report as jaundice. It is a fevor of short duration, generally accompanied by jaundice, and, like typhoid fever, endemic and engendered by paludal emanations. In the annual report of Drs. Cusack and Vickerman, of the Nelson Hospital, -vrho have had thirty-five cases during the last twelve months, there occurs the following :— •" Somedoubt existsamong the New Zealand medical men as to the exact type of fever prevalent in the colony. We have made careful post mortem examinations when practicable, and have met with some true cases of typhoid fever. Many cases present no distinctive anatomical lesion, aud are probably relapsing fevers." . • Tho same doubt as to the exact type of fever here has occurred to my mind from the frequent absence of the characteristic eruption of typhoid fever. I regret to say that I have not looked for the anatomical lesion referred to, namely ulcerar tion of the intestinal glands, and I have accounted for the absence of the eruption occasionally, as all tbe other characteristic symptoms have been well marked, by the difference of climate and the cachexy produced in many of the cases by exposure to wet and cold, fatigue, and paludal emanations mentioned by Doctors Cusack and Vickerman as modifying cases of acute disease from Westland treated in the Nelson hospital. I shall return to this subject, and as II 11I 1 have a much larger field for observation than the Nelson surgeons, my cases being numbered by the hundred, I hopo to be able to throw some light on the matter. (Signed) J. RuTHEnFOM) Rtlit, M.R.C.S.E., Surgeon-Superintendent. Hospital, May 5, 1866.

For Month of April, 1866. ! 8. § S, I 8-11 ion n pj B p S&H SB" 111 I*? : Si rg - • • o •o5 Nf !| v^ r *': : : ■1 I to a co w co & too M tO M M 00 t0<O«O U\tt^ Typhoid. m m cow to co Bilious, Relapsing ov Homittont. I H rn { H | Acuto. g h h t-» Sub-Aoute. g mm m Chronic. g h m m Quotidian Aguo. m mm Undovoloped Aguo. Valvular Disease of M H Heart. to tj mm Delirium Trenaons. M M M Acute. rf>- I m I Chronic Dysentery. Wfc9 m m I | Acute Bronchitis. ~1 Hii I Softening of Brain. mT Mi | Fistula in Pirineo. -I M M I Foreign Body in UreI thra. 1 Fissure of Eootum. 3 Indolent Ulcors. I Ulcers. to to I | Inoised Wounds. mI Ml I Wound of Eyeball. mI M I M | Necrosis of Phalanx, I Scalded Foot. mml | Syphilitio Psoriasis. mI | EcthymaCaohcetioum. mI mI | Sprain of Anklo, H tO fcO Of Spine. I 1 M M Of Brain.