follows;—Hokitika, 68 males and 35 females.
Hau-Hau, 36 males and 3 females. Waimea,
69 males and 5 females. Arshura, 16 males
and 1 female. Teremakau, 8 males. Grey-
mouth, 6 males. Kanieri, 49 males and 3
females. Lamplough, 6 males. Blue Spur,
2 males and 1 female. Greenstone, 10 males
and 1 female. Charlestown, 2 males. Ross,
10 males and 2 females. Fox’s, 1 male.
Buller, 1 male. Okarito, 4 males. Lake
Brunner, 1 male. Otira Gorge, 1 female.
Saltwater Creek, 1 male and 1 female. Nel-
son, 3 males. Seaman, 1.

The nationalities of patients are almost as
varied as they were last year:—England, 98.
Wales, 11. Scotland, 68. Ireland, 104.
France, 1. Portugal, 1. Germany, 5. North
America, 10. Sydney, 2. Victoria, 5. Ade-
laide, 1. New Zealand, 1. Tasmania, 5.
Sweden, 6. Nova Scotia, 2. Jersey, 3. Ca-
nada, 2. Switzerland, 5. Austria, 4. Norway,
3. Hanover, 1. Denmark, 2. Holland, 1.
Prussia, 3. Italy, 1. Isle of Man, 1. Mau-
ritius 1. Jamaica, 1. Belgium, 1. China,

1. Unknown, 1.

Fever and Dysentery, the most formidable
diseases of the district, and which in the
early days amounted in intensity almost to
an epidemic, have been steadily decreasing.
In 1866-67 there were 98 cases of fever and
47 cases of dysentery; in 1867-68 there were
19 cases of fever, including 3 cases of yellow
fever, and 41 of dysentery; but it will be
seen that only 9 cases of fever occurred last
year, and 5 of dysentery.

The prevailing disease last year, as during
the previous year, was rheumatism, there
being no less than 59 cases, or 15 per cent.
As will be seen from the list of diseases given
above, with the exception of two cases the
disease was of the chronic form, and although
everywhere the most obstinate of obstinate
diseases, here it is unusually rebellious to
treatment. No sooner is it driven from one
part of the body than it attacks another. The
patient, for example, will come in with arti-
cular rheumatism; when it is driven from
the joints it will attack the sciatic nerve, and
this will yield to treatment in from a week to
six weeks, when the patient will be attacked
with rheumatic ophthalmia or inflammation
of the fibrous tunic of the eye. Such cases
are only permanently cured by removal to a
warm climate. The diseases during last year
were of a more chronic character than during
previous years, so that, although the number
of patients treated is smaller than in previous
years, the average daily number of patients
has been larger than usual.

It will be seen that we have had 32 deaths,
or about 8 per cent., the percentage being
a little higher than in previous years. I
observed from the report of the Dunedin
Hospital for the year 1867-68, that the per-
centage of deaths there was 10 per cent. As
usual, a large proportion, viz., 10, or one-
third of the whole, were admitted moribund,
and died in from one to four days after ad-
mission. Thirteen occurred either from hope-
less injury or incurable disease, and of the
remaining nine the disease had existed for
periods varying from several months to a
fortnight before admission.

Of the total, viz., 393, 153 were medical,
and 140 surgical. Of the latter 64 were
cases of accident; the majority of the acci-
dents, as usual, being fractures, 23; disloca-
tions, 4; and fractures with dislocations, 2.
The fractures were last year 36, and the dis-
locations 5. Six of the cases of fracture of
the limbs were compound, or compound com-
minuted; three, at least, of which would
have required amputation under the old treat-
ment, but recovered in as short a time as
simple fractures under the new treatment by
carbolic acid, first employed in the colonies
in this Hospital. In one case only was am-
putation required, and this patient left the
Hospital with an artificial limb, and has since
left the colony.

I have, in concluding my remarks on the
Hospital, to call the attention of the Go-
vernment to the necessity there exists for
more accommodation for females, as I have
had frequently to refuse admission to this
class for want of accommodation. Almost
every female patient treated laboured under
the most serious disease; indeed this class,
my experience leads me to believe, do not
apply for Hospital relief except under dire
necessity, and I think they have special
claims on the community.

LUNATIC ASYLUM.

The accompanying tabulated statement
speaks for itself. The facts that the Asylum
is now full, and that two male lunatics are
confined at the Gaol, show that no time
should be lost in providing proper accommo-
dation for the safe keeping and proper treat-
ment of this most suffering class of suffering
humanity. I need not again point out the
deficiencies of the present Asylum, which
is little better than a place for safe keeping.