facilitates

and

digestion

of these

comparison

reports.

I well remember the

diversity

of the earlier returns and the

multiplicity

and

efforts,

quorum magna pars fui, which were made to reduce them to harmony and brevity. DEFECTS OF SURGICAL SECTION.

There is one,

however, which still requires revito surgical Trivial are operations. introduced into things this table which hardly deserve the name, such as passing catheters, removing wax from the external ear, hypodermic injections, etc. In differsion, namely, Statement IIIA, relating

ent

reports practice

and this of

and death rates.

HOSPITAL

REPORTS--ANCIENT

AND

recently had occasion to study a large batch of reports of hospitals and dispensaries for the year 1897, pertaining to nearly every province of the Indian Empire. Having at one time had to compile and read great have

and operations The brief comments by the administrative officer and orders thereon by the Government brineO into prominence matters of interest which the experience of the year has revealed and give opporof

finances

awarding praise

regards

real and

are

one

reports operations

not;

in

are

included

some

reports

of hernia are operations; in others known separately, and so on. This

province

cure

to the

paid

practice pursued

particulars

classes of

cases.

regards professional records, medical journals are the proper place for promulthese ill-administrative gating reports; they are out buried of sight. simply as

and societies

I I

or

secured with saving of time and labour expended on arithmetical material. The next

greatly

some

of medical and surgical cases or As regards the former, such information may be locally interesting and useful, but it simply burdens and lengthens a provincial report without benefit to anyone; and

as

and

point which deserves mention and commendation is the uniformity of construction which

in

elephantiasis

in others. Another feature observable is the omission of detailed or condensed reports of individual institutions and of purely professional matters such

blame, criticising emphasising matters tending to promote efficiency and popularity. Thus current record, attention and improvement are management

even as

malignant tumours;

in

of each.

,

tunity

regards these, comparison of total

statement requires careful revision, and it would be well if in compiling it attention were

statements with brief comments. The reports for 1897 are of the intermediate class ; but they nevertheless furnish all the information that is desirable regarding the number and class of institutions, the attendance of patients, the number and kind of diseases treated and the

as

for scrotal and labial

they

numbers of these reports, I am in a position to compare the merits of those of the present day with the features of similar compilations prepared and issued about a quarter of a century ago. The first thing that strikes one is the great reduction of their bulk. This has resulted from the introduction of the system of triennial reports with intermediate issue of annual tabular

performed,

But

among tumours, in others operations for the radical slumped with other hernia

MODERN.

I

vitiates

important operations defects exist. Thus no distinction is made between malignant and non-

LONDON LETTER. INDIAN

is different

course

J