67

Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland,
26th March, 1856.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to direct that the following Return, with
the accompanying "Remarks", should be published for general information.

By His Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

RETURN of DISEASES treated in the NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL from January 7, to December
1855, inclusively.

REMARKS.

Ever since the 3rd of August, 1854, that have not been uncommon; and, farther, that
being the epoch of the still existing, though, of the deaths among these people in this annual
months past, dormant war state of our Puku- period, have chiefly resulted from the sequelœ
tapu aborigines, the utility of this hospital has of that affection in the forms of functional, in-
been much curtailed, more particularly as re- testinal, and organic pulmonic disease. But in
gards its reception of in-patients, as one of these so far as I have had the opportunity of personal
belligerent parties has stood in the way of its observation, or have been able otherwise to
opponents from availing of the advantages of learn, fatal terminations have occurred to those
the institution; while on the other hand the only who in primary attack were either beyond
said hindering faction, though advantaging the sphere of rational nursing, and regular
themselves of the out-patient and dispensary medical treatment; or. being ignorant, and,
benefits, have been prevailed on only occasion- worse still, perseveringly headstrong in the
ally to come into hospital, partly from supersti- practice of their own remedial means and
tious not ons, having origin in t e circumstance nostrums, chose to prescribe for themselves.
of the Chief, the late assessor Rawiri, together No such result from measles or its consequences,
with one or two others of his party having died to the best of my knowledge, has been noticed
in the hospital from the gun-shot wounds among the Europeans; hence, it may be prog-
received in the affray on the date above stated; nosticated that, when the Maories become more
and partly from a fear that, as be'ng on a de, advanced in the knowledge and art of living—
tached and unprotected site, the enemy might if the race be destined to that attainment—so
stealthily visit the hospital by night, and either very manageable a disease as the epidemic in
carry the patients away captive, or immolate question, has hitherto proved to be in this mild
them within its walls. These, no doubt, may and temperate climate, will be found, neither
be regarded as the main causes of so few in- in its eruptive form, nor in its functional or
patients having been treated during this last organical sequelæ so fatal as it has been among
annual period. But it is to be observed also this hitherto, and from sundry obvious and
that the seasons, as is not infrequent after occult causes, decadent race.
epidemic visitation, such as that remarked on,
a probably too great length in my Report for
1854, have been upon the whole comparatively
healthy in the experience of both races. Yet
it has to be observed that, among the abori-
gines, particularly those of the Ngatiruanui and
Taranaki districts, sporadic cases of measles

Out-Patients who have received Advice,
Dressing, and Medicine during the year 1855.
392.
P. WILSON,
Colonial Surgeon.