Report of the Medical Officer of Health / Municipality of Colombo.

  • Colombo (Sri Lanka). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1929]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health / Municipality of Colombo. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CONTENTS. Letter of Transmission. | Statistical Summary. Part I. I.—Meteorology. II —Population. III. —Births IV. —Deaths. V.—Principal Causes of Deaths. VI. —Infant Mortality. VII. —Infectious Diseases (General). Statistics. VIII.—Plague. IX.—Cholera. X.—Smallpox and Vaccination. XI.—Chickenpox. XII.-Measles XIII. —Diphtheria. Part II. Administration. XIV.—Diarrhoea and Dysentery. XV.—Typhoid Fever. XVI.—Continued Fever. XVII —Pulmonary Tuberculosis. XVIII.—Influenza. XIX —Pneumonia. XX.—Whooping Cough. XXI.—Expenditure. XXII.—General Sanitation. XXIII.—Food Inspection. XXIV.-Markets. XXV.— Dairies and Milk Supply. XXVI.—Bakeries XXVTI.—Eating-houses and Tea-boutiques. XXVIII.—Laundries. XXIX.—Lavatories. XXX.—Mosquito Prevention. XXXI.—Disinfection and Cleansing. XXXII.—Housing. XXXIII.—Municipal Free Dispensaries. XXXIV.—Maternity and Child Welfare. XXXV.—Staff Changes. XXXVI.—Bacteriological Laboratory. XXXVII.—Analytical Work. Diagrams and Spot Maps. Diagram I.—Birth, Death, and Infant Mortality Rates, 1903-1929 Diagram II.—Comparative Chart showing the Mortality from the Principal Diseases during the Year 1929— (a) All ages. 1 (J) Infants. Diagram Diagram Spot Map Spot Map Diagram III.—Human and Rat-plague Cases, 1914-1929. Spot Map IV.—Annual Incidence of Enteric Fever Cases and number of Premises con¬ nected with Sewer V.—Incidence of Enteric Fever Cases by Wards. I.—Plague in 1929. II.—Enteric Fever and Continued Fever in 1929. III.—Phthisis in 1929. Annexures. A.—Report of City Microbiologist. 1 B.—Report of City Analyst. I HAVE the honour to submit the Administration Report of the Public Health Depart¬ ment for the year 1929. For reasons given in the previous report a number of rates has been omitted as they are likely to be misleading if based upon the 1921 estimate of population which is generally admitted to be too low. Where rates are given it is requested that they be accepted with some reserve. I have cut down the report to a considerable extent as I find that nothing new can be said every year and the same facts are being paraphrased and reiterated year after year in new phraseology and the report tends to become monotonous and uninteresting. 1 have instead decided to deal each year with one important problem of public health as fully as possible and then review it again fully after a period of, say, five years when it would be possible to take stock of our position and to register the progress, if any, made during the preceding quinquennium. I have accordingly in this report dealt with the problem of typhoid fever in Colombo as fully as the available statistics and other information permitted. The statistics so far kept on the subject are however not complete, information on several points is not available and a more comprehensive investigation card for each case is desirable in order that more precise information may be available at the next review. This study has furnished conclusive evidence of the great value of proper drainage and disposal of excreta in the reduction in the incidence of typhoid fever and the urgent call for action in regard to chiefly the Dematagoda and Wall street areas which may, without exaggeration, be termed hotbeds of typhoid fever. The health of the city on the whole was satisfactory in spite of setbacks in respect of typhoid fever and diarrhoea and enteritis. The corrected death-rate per 1,000 was 25'1, as against 24 4 in the pre\dous >ear and / the lowest death-rate so far recorded which was in 1927. The birth-rate was .3™. o, as against i in the previous year which was also the highest rate so far recorded. The infantile mortality rate which had been steadily dropping, see Diagram I. C had an unfortunate setback ; it being 201 per 1,000 births, as against Ibl in the previous j^eai. The maternal mortality rate per 1,000 births from all causes was _G d; frompuerpeia septicaemia 12‘0. These rates are still extremely high. The provisions of the Medical Ordinance of 1927 in respect of the registration of midwives come into force as from July 1, 1, JO, and it is hoped that they will eliminate the dangerous unqualified midwives who are mainlj lesponsiile for the high maternal mortality rate from puerperal septicfemia. Pneumonia and phthisis continue to exact a heavy toll of lives. Bad housing and over¬ crowding are mainly responsible for their high incidence.