RETURN OF ADMISSIONS AND DEATHS FROM FEVERS AMONGST THE WHITE AND BLACK TROOPS IN THE WINDWARD AND LEEWARD ISLAND COMMAND, FROM THE 1ST JANUARY TO THE 31ST MARCH, 1848.

*The detachment of the 66th Regiment had been a very short time only in British Guiana.]-ED.

CHAP. IV.

VARIETIES OF THE FEVER, AND THEIR PROGRESS IN CONNEXION WITH INTERMITTENT FEVER.

THE hospital registers, and case books, record three varieties of the epidemic disease, viz. Simplex, Mitior, and Gravior, and examples of these forms, or grades, are met with contemporaneously. It will be here necessary only to state that the mitior cases were distinguished by a tendency to resolve at the end of the second stage of the disease, and in all the symptoms were less pestilential than those of the gravior form, and that the simplex cases terminated with the first stage or period of excitement, and rarely were followed by any contamination or dissolution of the fluids. In this latter variety no death occurred. The simplex form was not distinctly recognised till 1841. It is probable, however, that it was present during the entire epidemic; its prevalence, however, is greatest and most manifest at the close. Previous to 1841, and from 24th December, 1838 (the day of opening the Seaman's Hospital), the mild fevers as distinguished from the true yellow fever are as follows:

:

EACH

PROGRESS OF FEBRIS FLAVA SIMPLEX. NUMBER OF CASES IN
YEAR AND MONTH. FROM RECORDS OF DEMERARA SEAMAN'S
HOSPITAL.

THE NUMBER OF CASES OF YELLOW FEVER, MITIOR AND GRAVIOR, EACH YEAR, WITH NUMBER OF DEATHS, AND RATE

TREATED DURING

OF MORTALITY.

NUMBER OF ADMISSIONS AND DEATHS OF YELLOW FEVER, MITIOR AND GRAVIOR, MONTHLY, FOR THE RESPECTIVE YEARS.

Grav.
WIGAN | Deaths.

1-2-

1842 13 29 9 7 27 6 819 8
1843 10 91-
12
11-

1844 3 1845

Mit.

43 12 1 1 3

Grav.

NIN' Deaths.
20

Mit.

688824 Grav.

Deaths.

12 2

1642218

11 3

Mit.

Deaths.

32 316 5
4. -14 5-
925 10 4 22 8 5

4 3

5 2 2 1

1 2 1 2 10 4 8 8 2 1
6 2 2 6

25 7 33 17
1-16 15 16 12 27 32 3
73 18 13632- 62 6- 7115- 68 13
33 10 32 53 16 35 46 23 33 39 1118 27 7
7 I 6 2 114 22 7

53

26 16

57 6

2

3 - -11 1

12621,

31 232 46 19 173 33 327617 29 35 22043 721 77 1833 5819 21 144 41 62 247 68 52 157 49 73 197 55 43 200 49

YEARLY AND MONTHLY TABLE OF ADMISSIONS AND DEATHS FROM YELLOW FEVER (INCLUDing Febris FLAVA SIMPLEX), of Demerara SEAMAN'S HOSPITAL.

Jan. Feb. Mar. April. May. June. July. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

missions

1

3

2 9

1

10

13

15

58

56

24

13

309 238 154 106 111 168 179 271 424 339 405 332 and Deaths - 46 33 17 2

41 68 49 55

49

-14.8 13.8 11 1.8 6.3 10.7 10.5 15.1 16. 14.4 13.5 14.7

All the cases of yellow fever in the shipping were not sent to hospital. Some medical practitioners deemed it necessary to make opposition to that establishment, and occasionally seamen were reluctant to leave their ships. Hence the above tables give an imperfect view of the absolute number of cases, and of the influence of season, &c. on the average mortality. Some corrections, however, may be made in our approximations by the millesimal mortality of the shipping generally, as it is well

known that the only fatal disease prevailing during the time in question was the yellow fever epidemic.

MILLESIMAL MORTALITY OF THE SEAMEN WHO ARRIVED IN DEMERARA RIVER BETWEEN 1835 AND 1846 INCLUSIVE.

Yrs. Jan. Feb. Mar. April. May June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

1835 3.9 00:00 00:00 3.7 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00.00'00.00 00.00 1836 3.0 5.4 8.7 9.1 6.2 00.00 7.1 00 00 00 00 00·00,00·0000.00 1837 00:00 3.4 3.7 3.0 18.2 195.5 131.9 101.8 1019 220⚫ 37. 65.2 97.3 23.5 47.1 94.5 117 80.9 69.8 35.6 70.2 40.6 9.4 14.3 4.8 10.5 43.2 52.9 48.6 117.9 69.3 3.7 12.2 12.3 4.0

Annual
Aver.

•5

2.9

60.9

69.3

1838 111.7 71.8

37.7

1839 24.

17.4

14 8

15.6

1840 62.3 64.6

13.0

6.2

00.00 6.8 5.1 29.6

5.5 4.8 12.5 59. 124-7 32.7 38.7 51.1 5.2 45.1 30.2 30.1 36.1 147-4 20.5 27.4 00.00 3.5 2.6 7.4 7.2 2.1 4.3 26. 00.00 15.4 00.00 1.9 2.5 2.1 2.6 2.3 4.1 20 00.00 4.3 5.9 00.00 2.1 2.9 2.7 00.00 3.3 00:00 2.6 00.00

9.2 25.5 26.2 25.3 33.6 29.2 22.9 24.8

99

CENTESIMAL PROPORTION OF DEATHS FROM YELLOW FEVER DURING COURSE OF EPIDEMIC IN SEAMAN'S HOSPITAL, THE "SIMPLE FORM BEING INCLUDED IN THE NUMBER OF CASES.

Year. Jan. Feb. March. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Annual.

months 12.2 15.4 18.6 1.5 5.3 94 14.7 12.3 12.5 12.3 10.8 13.8

NOTE. From 1841 only is the "simplex" grade recognised. PROGRESS OF INTERMITTENT FEVER IN SEAMAN'S HOSPITAL DURING EPIDEMIC, AS SHOWN BY MONTHLY ADMISSIONS.

Year. Jan. Feb. Mar. April. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct Nov. Dec. Total.