War Surgery and Medicine
Analysis of Work Done at 1 NZ General Hospital Laboratory During Thirty-one Months at Helwan
Analysis of Work Done at 1 NZ General Hospital Laboratory During Thirty-one Months at Helwan
This analysis is based on the monthly reports furnished to the Deputy Director of Pathology, Middle East, and is set out in full month by month in the following table. The graph shows the fluctuation of work, relating it to the monthly admissions.
page 742Following is the total of specimens examined in thirty-one months under the various headings in the monthly reports:
Specimens Examined | |
Enteric group fevers | 3613 |
Dysentery | 9113 |
Helminthiasis | 396 |
Malaria | 5906 |
Other protozoology | 7 |
Relapsing fever | 128 |
Undulant fever | 42 |
Typhus fever | 25 |
Throat swabs | 2927 |
Sputa | 2329 |
Pus, skin scales, etc. | 814 |
Wound infections | 678 |
Venereal disease | 10353 |
Biochemistry | 1865 |
Vaccines made | 139 |
Blood counts | 11169 |
Puncture fluids | 739 |
Urines | 5919 |
Food, milk, water | 355 |
Histological sections | 569 |
Post-mortems | 139 |
Blood-grouping | 725 |
— | |
Grand total | 57,950 |
Consideration of the above figures shows:
1. |
That the average number of specimens examined per month fell little short of 2000. The average figure for Christchurch Hospital over a two-year period (1948–50) was approximately 3000. The staff at 1 NZ General Hospital was 5 technicians, most of whom were partly trained; the staff at Christchurch Hospital during the above period was 17, trained or in training. |
2. |
That about one-third of the work done arose from tropical diseases. |
3. |
Work arising from battle casualties made only a small contribution (about 6 per cent) to the total (wound infections, part of blood counts and blood grouping). |
4. |
A relatively small amount of biochemical work. Nevertheless, a wide range of chemical work was undertaken to provide all the tests normally available in a public hospital. This branch of the work is certain to show a large increase in any future war, and will require the services of a properly trained biochemist. |
5. |
A high figure for tests under venereal disease: this was largely due to the laboratory undertaking serological tests for VD Treatment Centres in a large area. |