Of the 21 who did not report after acceptance, in 2 cases the application was later withdrawn by the local applying department, reason not stated; 1 withdrawn on account of non-citizenship; 12 did not report for treatment (no reason could be obtained); 1 acutely ill after acceptance; 1 located herself in satisfactory country place; 1 returned to work immediately after acceptance and did not report for treatment; 1 entered a local hospital on account of acute condition; 1 went to place of own selection and 1 changed plans.

A total of 493 patients were admitted. Thirty-seven applications of the previous year were acted upon and examined in this year. There is at the present time no waiting list.

The discharged patients for the year are 431, of whom 372 remained longer than three months and are reported upon statistically in Table I.

TABLE I.

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF RESULTS IN ALL CASES REMAINING IN THE HOSPITAL LONGER THAN THREE MONTHS. AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY 8.01 MONTHS.

The statistics parallel approximately those of previous years. Favorable prognosis depends relatively upon the stage of the disease. The percentage of moderately advanced and advanced cases continues about the same.

The cases not considered medically who remained less than three months are reported upon in Table II.

This table includes a report upon the cases admitted who did not remain sufficiently long to be classified in the results. Most of these patients returned home on account of family or work conditions. A few were discharged as progressive and not suitable cases; and the occasional disciplinary discharge must be mentioned.

As a rule the hospital does not receive children under 16 years of age. It is against the rules of the State Board of Charities to place children in the same wards with adults. The wisdom of this rule is indisputable. An occasional child is admitted, provided it is under the immediate guardianship of a person of the same sex and the same family who is under treatment at the same time. The table illustrates the characteristic age period of the disease.

The table of occupations is continued as in former years. The classifications of occupations is admittedly unsatisfactory and two attempts are at present under way to correct this defect. The National Association for Labor Legislation has been working for a number of years on a satisfactory classification of occupations. The original list of occupations, 3,000 or 4,000, has been gradually condensed and combined until the list is now limited to between 200 and 300. The final approved list is not yet at hand. The Massachusetts General Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Edsall, has prepared a new occupational list for the dispensary