PUBLIC HEALTH
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each week were held at social hygiene centres in conjunction with dermatology and venereal disease clinics. One clinic session is also held once each month at Tsuen Wan. Total attendances amounted to 32,442 and 297 new cases of leprosy were diagnosed and placed under treatment compared with 379 in 1958. 138 cases were admit- ted to the Hei Ling Chau Leprosarium maintained by the Hong Kong Auxiliary of the Mission to Lepers; of these the greatest number were new infectious cases and the remainder were either in reaction or in need of surgical attention.
At the end of the year 2,732 cases of leprosy were receiving treatment as out-patients. Dapsone is still preferred for routine treatment; the use of diaminodiphenyl sulphoxide which was in- troduced for selected cases in 1958 has been discontinued follow- ing upon conclusions reached at the W.H.O. seminar held in Tokyo in November 1958. A clinical trial using ditophal by inunction was started in May 1959. Preliminary results have been very encouraging and ditophal will soon be available for general use. Diphenyl thiourea is now available in tablet form and is used in selected cases showing intolerance to Dapsone.
The surgical rehabilitation of patients suffering from deformities and disfigurements has been still further developed in the Maxwell Memorial Hospital at the Hei Ling Chau Leprosarium. Ortho- paedic treatment is also given in Government hospitals where a very limited number of beds is available for this purpose.
Contact investigations are increasing steadily in number and child contacts are vaccinated with B.C.G. Defaulters from treat- ment are followed-up by home visiting and of 574 defaulters who were visited 208 returned to treatment; a success rate of 36.6%. The Almoner service to leprosy patients continues to expand and a small number of cured lepers were found employment with Government.
Dermatology. Out-patient sessions for the diagnosis and treat- ment of skin complaints are held at the Social Hygiene clinics where treatment is given free. This has proved to be a useful method of detecting latent syphilitic conditions and early leprosy. In addition out-patient sessions are now held four times each week at certain hospitals and general clinics on both sides of the Har- bour. There were 11,046 new attendances at the Social Hygiene centres and 3,086 new attendances at the other four centres; total