THE VARIETIES OF FEVER 43 



make up his list from his books when he draws up 

 his accounts. If possible, it is a good plan to have a 

 number of forms typewritten (or printed, if there are 

 funds available) with columns dividing the fever in- 

 cidence into three categories three-day fever, seven- 

 day fever, and fever of longer duration. Under each 

 heading the doctor can enter the number of cases 

 treated by him which come under these categories. 

 One of such forms can be sent to each practitioner 

 at every half-year, or just before each quarter-day, as 

 convenient to them. 



The books of the hospital and dispensaries should 

 be examined. Much valuable information can be 

 obtained in this way. A clerk can easily count the 

 number of in-patients treated for " fever " during 

 five years. He must exclude typhoid and the others, 

 and he can place malaria and yellow fever in another 

 list. Then he can obtain the bed tickets and tem- 

 perature charts of those patients who suffered from 

 fever, from the registrar or secretary. These may be 

 sorted out and separated into groups similar to those 

 mentioned above namely, three-day, seven-day, and 

 longer fever. The out-patient and dispensary books 

 also will probably show a number of cases marked as 

 " fever." This diagnosis may include early typhoid, 

 malaria, measles, influenza, and many other affections, 

 but still the figures obtained may be useful for com- 

 parison in future years. But in all cases it is im- 

 portant to note at the same time the total number 

 of cases treated every year both as in-patients and 

 out-patients ; then the sick-rate can be obtained. 



