322
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 6TH JULY, 1878.
TROOPS.
Table IV. shows the strength, sickness and mortality of the Troops in Garrison.
Average of Strength of Garrison.
1874,............1,040
1875,..... ..1,020
1876,............1,540
Admitted to Hospital.
1,067
716
563
973
Deaths.
10
9
2
9
1877,............1,130
The above statistics of the sickness and mortality during the last four years shew the enormous increase that took place in the sickness last year. It is true that the temperature was much greater than usual, also the rain-fall less, and that there was a considerable increase in the general sickness and mortality in the Colony, but why the Troops should have suffered so much more from sickness, I am at loss to understand, as they are specially looked after and cared for and in very few places have they better accommodation. In previous years the sickness among the Police has shown badly as compared with the Troops, which was not to be wondered at, as they have harder work and not nearly as good accommodation, but this year their health has been very much better in comparison. There, was a considerable increase of malarious fever at Kowloon last year, but even this could hardly account for so much extra sickness among the Troops, as the Police at Kowloon have not suffered more than in past ⚫years.
GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL.
I regret that nothing further has been heard of the design for the new Civil Hospital. In some respects we may congratulate ourselves that the old buildings were ruined in the Typhoon of 1874. Still the present structure, though a great improvement upon the former one, is unfitted for a Hospital.
Towards the end of the year 1876, the European Wardmasters were done away with, with one exception, and Chinese Wardmasters substituted; the alteration has worked well, nor has there that I am aware of been any serious complaint against any of these men, as there used to be under the former arrangement. We have now got a Chinese Clerk, and for the future I will have no difficulty in keeping the records of the Hospital in order. As far as the years previo the records, the few there are of them, are in great confusion, and what remai letters without or
and answers to letters of which no trace is
ימילון
concerned ; there are of hands, ho were in My last
at to 6 A.M.
for record in
some of them by ladies, who seem to have done their best to. Government service, but to whose services the Government was ct. annual report took me nine hours to write, and as I wrote steadily from 9 P.M. the next morning, it could hardly be expected that I should make another fair cop
Surely with only two Surgeons on the Staff to look after about 600 Police, 500 priss, the Colonial Staff drawing less than £400 a year, 4 Hospitals, and a Lunatic Asylum, and 300 prostitutes, their time and skill might have been put to better use than clerical office work. new clerk does not find he has too much time on his hands.
my own off
The
The Tables showing the cases admitted into Hospital do not in any way account for extra unhealthiness in the Colony. There is a very slight increase in the number of fever cases, also in the number of pulmonary complaints, but there is also a slight decrease in the number of bowel, complaints. Venereal cases are about the same, though there are less than half the number of cases of The terrible accident on board the steamer Yesso constitutional syphilis as compared with last year.
created great confusion in the Hospital for a short time. All the cases but two were within four hours transferred to the large Ward in the Gaol, under my superintendence. During the time the poor creatures were in the Hospital great assistance was rendered by the Naval Surgeons who were in Harbour at the time, and also the private practitioners. After their removal to the Gaol Ward, the services of Surgeon MoWLL of H. M. S. Vigilant were kindly placed at the disposal of the Government by His Excellency Vice-Admiral HILLYAR, and he took charge of the wounded, sixty in number, with such assistance as I could give him. Nearly all the cases were fatal; of the 64 brought to the Hospital, only five are known to have survived. Most of them died during the first forty-eight hours; some were taken away by their friends. I tried to persuade the latter to leave the patients where they but the question asked was "If we leave them, wll they get well?" and as there appeared very little chance of such an event, I had to reply accordingly. Both friends and relatives desired however to hear their last words and to give the patients their blessing, and if we could not guarantee to save them, they expressed themselves desirous to take them home. Surgeon MowLL remained in charge about a fortnight. I am happy to say his valuable services were recognised both by the owners of the vessel, Messrs. DOUGLAS LAPRAIK & Co., and by the Chinese Community here; I hope they may also be acknowledged by the Home Government, to whom his services were reported by His Excellency the Governor. It cannot be expected that Hospital accommodation should have sufficed
were,
1