February, 1910.] Annual Report. 



x x 1 



Medical Section. 



Meetin 



cept during the vacation, and the interest and attendance' has 

 been well maintained. The first two monthly meetings were 

 devoted to a continuation of the discussion on Tubercular 

 affections in India, which brought out many important facts 

 regarding the prevalence of this very serious disease. Lt.-Col. 

 Pilgrim dealt with the records of the European General 

 Hospital for some years, while Major Mulvaney worked out 

 the incidence in the Bengal jails, illustrating the prevalence in 

 different parts of the province by charts. Drs. Pearse and 

 Chatterjee gave figures regarding tubercle in Calcutta, where 

 an increase in its prevalence appears to have taken place in 

 recent years. The frequency with which it affects a number of 

 members of a household points to its infectiousness and the 

 necessity of the treatment of the early cases in a properly 

 equipped sanitorium. Captain Delany contributed an interest- 

 ing paper on the sanitorium treatment of phthisis, which 

 clearly brought out the fact that climate plays a part of only 

 secondary importance compared with careful treatment and 

 regulation of every detail of life, which can only be secured in 

 a fully equipped institution under a specially qualified medical 

 man. After an exhaustive discussion extending over three 

 meetings the following resolution was unanimously carried : 



* 



"The Medical Section of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 

 having discussed the subject of tuberculous disease in 

 Bengal, and its wide prevalence, are of the opinion 

 that it is an extremely common cause of great 

 suffering and mortality both among the European and 

 Indian communities, and therefore venture to call the 

 attention of the Government of India and the local 

 Governments to the urgent necessity for providing a 

 properly equipped sanitorium for the treatment of 

 early phthisis, such as has been provided, with most 

 satisfactory results, in nearly all civilised countries." 



This resolution has been presented by Sir Thomas Holland, 

 PrPsirlAnt. nf t.hft Sonifttv. to the Patron. His Excellency the 



as 



as 



discussion has established the fact that tubercular diseases 

 cause far more suffering and death in India than even cholera 

 and manv other dreaded tropical diseases. 



Another interesting discussion took place on a paper of 

 Dr. Hossack on plague, in which he vigorously attacked the 

 conclusions of the Bombay Plague Commission. Major 

 Vaughan contributed a valuable paper on Small-pox based on 

 great experience in the isolation wards at the Campbell 



