On the numerical ratio of disease in the adult male community : deduced from the sanitary statistics of Her Majesty's Customs, London, for the years 1857-74 / by Walter Dickson.

Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the numerical ratio of disease in the adult male community : deduced from the sanitary statistics of Her Majesty's Customs, London, for the years 1857-74 / by Walter Dickson. 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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    been during the period 35 years. We have, therefore, in the aggre- gate a body of 32,000 men in the prime of life as the basis of our calculations; and I will now submit to you the general results de- duced from the experience of these twenty-eight years. The mean daily number incapacitated for duty by reason of sick- ness or accident has been 29 per 1,000. The highest annual number was 37 per 1,000, the lowest 20 per 1,000. The ratio of cases admitted to the sick list on the mean strength of the force has been 700 per 1,000; the annual mean ratio having varied from 820, the maximum, to 590 per 1,000, the minimum. The mean duration of each case under treatment has varied from thirteen to twenty-one days, the mean of the whole period having been 15.5 days. As this period includes two Sundays, 13^ days would be the proportion in comparison with those who have no Sun- day labour. The time lost by each individual of the force has varied annually from fourteen days, the maximum, to ten days, the minimum. The mean time in the whole period lost by each person in consequence of disease and accident has been eleven days, or, deducting Sunday, 9.5 days per man in each year. These figures demonstrate a very satisfactory state of health of the department, when the age, duties, and peculiar circumstances of the Customs officers are taken into consideration, and, as the table an- nexed shows, will compare favourably with the considerably younger men of the army and navy serving in the United Kingdom. For many years, the London officers have been provided with medical attendance and medicines at the expense of the Crown; but, until eleven years ago, a stoppage was made on their pay during time of sickness, at first amounting to about one-half, and subsequently to about a fifth of their whole salary. In 1864, a very great boon was conferred on them by their being permitted, when sick, to retain the whole of their emoluments during the first six months of absence, and after that time to be placed on half-salary till removed from the sick list by death or superannuation. This privilege, although some- times liable to be abused by the indolent and unscrupulous, and necessitating unremitting vigilance on the part of the medical officers, has unquestionably been highly beneficial in enabling officers, who could otherwise ill afford a pecuniary sacrifice, to avail themselves of timely remedial measures, and to procure rest at home, and such other comforts as their condition might require, to the great alleviation of disease and better prospect of recovery. The result is, that the sick