Historical and statistical sketch of the progress of epidemic fever in Glasgow during the year 1847 / by R.S. Orr.

Date:
[1848]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Historical and statistical sketch of the progress of epidemic fever in Glasgow during the year 1847 / by R.S. Orr. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    its maximum. To illustrate this point, and in continuation of a table I published last year,* showing the progress of fever and its regularity in advancing and retiring, it may be mentioned, that the admissions to the fever wards of the Infirmary amounted in autumn 1846, when the disease began to be severe, to 627; in winter to 942 ; in the spring of 1847 to 1205 ; in summer, when it was at its greatest height, to no fewer than 1729 ; in autumn to 1248, and in winter to 967 ; showing at first a manifest and steady increase, and latterly as steady a decline. The total number of cases of fever treated to a termination in the fever wards and auxiliary hospitals under the jurisdiction of the managers of the Infirmary, during 1847, amounted to the very large number of 5244. Of these 4420 were dismissed cured, and 804 died,—exhibiting a mortality of 15.39 per cent, or two deaths in every thirteen cases. On only one occasion have the cases treated in the fever hospital amounted to anything like the above number; and this occurred, exactly ten years previously, in 1837; when they reached the somewhat higher number of 5387; and on only two previous oc- casions did the mortality reach the magnitude of 15 per cent., namely, in 1836 and 1839, when it was in the latter 16^ per cent, and in the former nearly 16 per cent. In consequence of the great number of applicants for admis- sion to the fever wards, these, at the very commencement of the year, were so full, that the managers of the Infirmary were on many occasions compelled to refuse admission. About the end of January, they succeeded in opening in the neighbourhood of the Infirmary a new hospital, which had recently been erected as a lock-hospital, and which afforded accommodation to about seventy female patients. By the middle of February this also was quite full; the applicants for admission were more numerous than before; and the refusals steadily increased in number. At this time, I was requested by the managers to keep an account of the number of patients who applied for admission, but who, from the want of accommodation, were refused. This record was kept daily during the greater part of the epidemic, and when at its height, there were frequently as many as one hundred or one hundred and twenty cases on the list of applicants whose claims it had been impossible to overtake ; while, at the same time, I have reason to know, that many were debarred from applying, in consequence of knowing the utter hopelessness of such an appeal. In anticipation of future epidemics, the managers of the Infir- mary had taken steps for the erection of an auxiliary hospital for the treatment of fever, on a piece of ground which they had for- merly purchased, and which seemed well adapted for such a pur- * Edin. Med. and Surg. Journal, No. 171, April 1846.