224 AROUND THE WORLD VIA INDIA. 



work. The pupil nurses are Europeans or Eurasians 

 and remain for only one year in training. 



Among the more interesting cases Professor Bird 

 showed me five patients recently operated on for abscess 

 of the liver. All were doing well, although greatly 

 emaciated from the effects of the disease. Abscess of 

 the liver appears to be extremely common in this part 

 of India, as Professor Bird not long ago operated on 

 twenty cases in two months. Carcinoma, in all its 

 forms is met with here with about the same frequency 

 as in Europe. Acute osteomyelitis and surgical tuber- 

 culosis, on the other hand, are comparatively rare. 

 Syphilis and gonorrhea are very common, but in the 

 native both of these diseases pursue a benign course. 

 Enlargement of the prostrate gland in the aged natives 

 is very rare. This statement is confirmed by all sur- 

 geons I met in India. They can offer no explanation 

 for this, but there must be something in their habits 

 or manner of living that protects them against this 

 curse of advanced life so common among Europeans 

 and Americans. Stone in the bladder is very common, 

 but comparatively few of these cases enter the hos- 

 pital, as they are operated on by physicians who prac- 

 tice in the country districts, the operation being re* 

 garded by them as a safe and easy one. 



A chronic parenchymatous inflammation of the 

 mammary gland in young men is of frequent occur- 

 rence here and is usually treated by excision. Cystitis 

 is very rare as compared with our hospital experience. 

 Two reasons might be advanced to explain this: the 

 rarity of prostatic hypertrophy in India and the very 

 mild course gonorrhea pursues in the natives. 



Professor Quiche, of Bombay, made the statement 

 to me that he never knew of a rajah to enter on a cath- 

 eter life. Tuberculosis of the kidney and bladder is 

 also infinitely more rare in India than in our country. 

 As is the case with all colored races, the natives of In- 

 dia are very subject to benign tumors, especially fibro- 



