SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STATE HOSPITAL. REPORT OF THE MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENT. To the Honorable Board of Managers, Southern California State Hospital, Patton, California. GENTLEMEN: In accordance with past custom, I herewith present to you my report for the sixtieth fiscal year. The year just closed has been a rather eventful one in the history of the institution. The net gain in the number of patients in the hospital is remarkable, being equal to that of any two years of the past decade. We have received during the year 328 male and 168 female patients, a total of 496. We have discharged as recovered 131 male and 49 female patients, a total of 180. We have discharged as improved 31 males and 17 females, a total of 48. The percentage of recoveries to admission is 36.39; the percentage of discharges, including both the recovered and improved, is 45.8. There have died during the year 75 male and 37 female patients. The percentage of deaths to the number treated is 6.95. As a result of the epidemic of diphtheria, which was first recognized in April, 1908, we have had sporadic cases occurring throughout the year, but at no time has the disease assumed the form of an epidemic and there has been no death due to diphtheria. Every suspicious case has been promptly isolated and properly handled. We have had 21 clinical cases of diphtheria in the past twelve months. The origin of the majority of the cases we have had to charge to the presence of certain carriers resulting from the epidemic of a year ago. At the same time we do not lose sight of the fact that it is not unusual for us to receive patients from the various counties from which we draw, where the cultures taken from the nose and throat immediately upon their reception at this hospital, show the individual to be a carrier of diphtheria germs, and in our opinion these people are in a measure responsible for the occasional appearance of the disease. All new cases showing positive cultures have been closely quarantined, and only by a rigid quarantine of all suspicious cases coming to us have we been able to control the spread of the disease. In the past six months we have had six cases, four of them occurring on the female wards and two on the male. No two of the cases occurred on the same ward, nor could we trace a connection in any of these cases. The study of the epidemic has been an interesting one, particularly that portion of it connected with the laboratory work, which has served to demonstrate that too much reliance must not be placed on the laboratory findings in the diagnosis of this disease. I refer particularly to the microscope findings. Aside from this epidemic, the general health of the hospital has been good, and the death rate satisfactorily low. PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS. The legislature of 1907 made a total appropriation for permanent improvements at this hospital to the amount of $86,000. Of the total amount appropriated $43,000 has been used in the construction of the following permanent improvements: 1. Twelve thousand dollars to build a model sanitary dairy barn. This building is now completed and occupied, and we can now point to our dairy with pride. 2. Sixteen thousand dollars was used in the strengthening of the roofs of certain buildings and the slating of the same. These roofs were at the time of construction of the buildings covered with metal roofing, and it always has been a source of expense and annoyance, owing to the occurrence of numerous leaks, which would follow expansion and contraction of the metal. The appropriation fell short of being sufficient to complete the work. The new west wing and the building known as the Barracks will have to be slated this fall. 3. Fifteen thousand dollars of the appropriation was used in the construction of the first section of the storm drain, as designed by the Engineering Department. This drain, in a measure, protects the land through which it is laid, but considerable work and expense will be necessary to make it thoroughly efficient. 4. Forty-three thousand dollars was appropriated for the building of a receiving cottage. We regret very much to chronicle that no actual construction work has been done. In the early part of this year we became convinced that there was not enough money in the appropriation to construct and equip such a building as the Engineering Department had designed. In accordance with this decision we asked the legislature for an additional $15,000. They saw fit to grant this appropriation, and the contract has now been let for the building, and in the course of the next six months we expect to have it in use. In addition to the improvements made from money especially appropriated, considerable has been done with money drawn from our contingent fund. Perhaps the largest and most important item was the construction of the septic tank, designed and built under the supervision of the Engineering Department, at a cost of $7,044.94. It is estimated that this tank is of sufficient capacity to take care of the sewage of the institution for all time to come. Many other necessary and important improvements were made, such as repairing and remodeling the chapel, in the work of which we spent approximately $1,750. The expenditure of this large amount was Constructed for tubercular patients, Southern California State Hospital. One of the numerous walks in the grounds of the institution. The variety of climatic conditions can be appreciated by comparing the tropical luxuriance of this spot with the snow-capped mountain back of the Administration Building as depicted on page 184. |