RELATA REFERO


This state of affairs prevails also in hospitals at almost all big cities in India. Slips of paper to the House Physicians and Resident Surgeons recommending patients of the upper and middle class for being admitted in the general wards, is not an uncommon feature. But, after all, why should one serve honorary on a Hospital committee if one cannot keep handy some sort of medical bonus for his kinsfolk and friends?.


At the session of the Bengal Tuberculosis Association- Home visitors class, ending March 1940, twenty one candidates attended of whom one came from Udaipur State, 10 from Bihar and 10 from Bengal; these included 10 female candidates, 8 from Bengal and 2 from Bihar. in the examination three Bengal candidates failed, 18 passed. Of the female candidates, only one was matriculate and others have read upto various High-school standards. Of the 8 Bengali female candidates seven received stipends of Rs. 20/- per month and all of them have been provided employment immediately on passing the examination.

“Children should be given midday meal or tiffin in every school if possible. Financially, it is not a difficult problem either. U think one can provide for younger children a midday meal at a cost of one piece per day for grown up children two piece per head, provided there is a voluntary agency for the preparation and distribution of this meal. Would it be too much to expect that people of this province would take up such social welfare work more and more on a voluntary basis?” These are the words of Lt. Col. A.C. Chatterji, Director of public Health, Bengal.

We hope this plaintive appeal will bring about a change in the supine and sequestered habit of our ladies and urge them to sacrifice the midday siesta and give a thought to the school- going lads and lassies. But their husbands would resent it. For, even in a family consisting of only a husband and wife, a sturdy Midnapur cook is an outstanding figure to bear testimony to the affluence of the husband who takes pride in presenting his grihini to people only as on idle block of wood or stone ornamented with silk and gold and jewels. Where dusting ones own chair is a serious derogation of dignity, Col. Chatterjis appeal is only a cry in the wilderness!.

Will the Corporation of Calcutta initiate supplying midday meal in its Free Primary Schools? If the household of Aldermen and Councillors lead life heavenly-light, battalions of middle class people are sure to follow them.

The total number of patients treated at the LUCHMANPURA HOMOEOPATHIC CHARITABLE DISPENSARY, Benares, during the year 1346 B.S., figured 60,458.

The figures given below show the total attendance of patients at the following Homoeopathic Free Dispensaries, Delhi, during April, 1940:.

1. Central Dispensary, Kucha Brij Nath 10,467.

2. Village Barwala Kucha Brij Nath 2045.

3. Faiz Bazar Kucha Brij Nath 2480.

4. L. Ram Roop Dispensary, Subzi Mandi 8345.

5. Karol Bagh Dispensary, Subzi Mandi 1453.

In the State of Mysore there are 31 Womens Hospitals and dispensaries, 41 Maternity homes and 32 Child welfare centres. A proud record indeed for any State of its size! Sir Mirza M. Ismail, Diwan of Mysore, will find it easily possible to increase the number of these Hospitals, Homes and Welfare centres by fifty per cent without increasing the amount of expenditure under these beads, yet ensuring greater efficiency, if he installs Homoeopathic system of treatment at these places. As an experiment, will he condescend to try it in only half-a-dozen hospitals and homes, say, for only six months?.

The National Association for supplying Medical Aid by women (W.M.S.) in its annual reports recorded its insistent opinion that free medical treatment should only be given to the really poor. The Report further says that it is found that many middle class and better class patients insist on occupying free beds in the general wards, though paying-rooms are available, and at the most give a small donation to the poor box on leaving even after confinements or operations and so prevent the really poor from benefiting fully from the facilities offered.

Most of the Hospital Committees are not willing to give the Medical Officer- in-charge authority to refuse admission to free beds to such patients and in fact often encourage the practice with the result that the hospitals are in a chronic state of financial distress.

This state of affairs prevails also in hospitals at almost all big cities in India. Slips of paper to the House Physicians and Resident Surgeons recommending patients of the upper and middle class for being admitted in the general wards, is not an uncommon feature. But, after all, why should one serve honorary on a Hospital committee if one cannot keep handy some sort of medical bonus for his kinsfolk and friends?.

At long last, the Government of BEngal have decided to establish Anklesaria College of Pharmacy in Calcutta, and definite proposals are at present being worked out by the Surgeon General of Bengal with a view to giving effect to the scheme during the next financial year.

From a Press note recently issued by the Government of Bengal we can draw the following comparative table of Mofussil Hospitals:.

Allopathic Homoeopathic.

At the close of year 1936 1369 76.

At the close of year 1937 1533 76.

Of these 1533 allopathic dispensaries, 1272 institutions were situated in the rural and 261 in the urban areas.

We thus find that while allopathic institutions increased by 164 in one year, homoeopathic institutions increased by only 4. And this was despite the Governments is fullest cognizance of the darned cheap equipment and running expenses viz-a-vis the superior results of Homoeopathy.

The Marwari Relief Society, Calcutta, in its Homoeopathic Outdoor department, treated 4943 cases during the month of April 1940. This shows an increase by 986 cases over March last. Here is a concrete evidence of the efficacy-hence the increasing popularity of Homoeopathy.

The Ramkrishna Mission Swarnalata Widows Home was inaugurated at Puri on May 19, 1940, under the presidency of Mr. M.N. Bose, District Magistrate. In addressing the meeting Dr. Radha Kumud Mookerjee observed, “A lively and abiding sense of the “One in the many must lift life on a higher plane on which differences between individuals in a view of the whole, of which they are parts. On that plane the self is identified with all others. True Religion thus transforms itself into social service.”.

SERVICE was the pivot of the mission of His Holiness The Swami Vivekananda. Training in nursing and Homoeopathy will make the inmates of this Widows Home the true evangelists of the Swamijis Divine Message enstrusted to him by Bhagawan Sree Ramkrishna.

N C Bose
DR. N. C. Bose, M.D.C.H
Calcutta
Chief Editor, Homeopathic Herald