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Enclosure 1.
Report from the Superintendent of the Civil Hospital.
GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL,
HongKong, 29th April, 1887.
Sin, I have the honour to forward my last report on the Civil Hospital, with the usual tables of statistics.
2. The Hospital Establishment has passed through many vicissitudes since I took charge in February, 1873, the old Mission House in which I found it installed having been wrecked in the great typhoon of 1874: the old Hotel de l'Europe, its next habitat, was burned in the great fire of 1878, and the old Lock Hospital into which it finally moved, has been enlarged and transformed to a certain extent, the Hospital work going on as usual during the alterations.
3. The want of space felt in the old Lock Hospital was met by occupying the New Female Lock Hospital, finished in 1880, until the entire Civil Hospital shall be completed.
4. The Civil Hospital as it now stands is a striking contrast to its predecessor of 1873, and its usefulness and efficiency vastly increased.
5. I may remark that in May, 1873, the Seamen's Hospital was sold to the Admiralty, and its work in consequence devolved upon the Civil Hospital.
6. The sources whence the supply of patients is derived I mentioned in detail in my report of last year, so I need not repeat them.
Speaking generally, they come from everywhere, and are of every colour and tongue, and suffer from almost every imaginable complaint.
7. As a field of observation the Civil Hospital is unsurpassed, and it is much to be regretted that there is no opportunity to record the varied and interesting experiences gained there.
8. The appointment of a second Medical Officer is urgently needed and cannot be long deferred. 9. Mr. Crow, head Apothecary and Analyst, has proved a great acquisition to the Medical Depart- ment, and I am indebted to him for many useful suggestions.
A second Apothecary has been added to the Dispensing staff and when quarters in the Hospital have been provided for him the dispensary service will be continuous.
10. Mr. ROGERS, the Steward and Storekeeper, has been indefatigable in his department, sparing no pains to increase the efficiency and economy of the Hospital service.
11. Mr. Lo CHUNG-IP, who was appointed clerk in March, is commendable for his diligence and steadiness, and is a great improvement on his immediate predecessors.
12. Messrs. WATSON and Kor, the Wardmasters, with increasing experience in the care of the sick and the management of the Chinese 'attendants, are able year by year to do more for the welfare of the patients.
Their duties are very harassing, and they deserve credit for the way they get through them.
13. Mr. CARNEIRO, Wardmaster to the Small-pox Hospital is attached to the Civil Hospital during the six summer months, and his assistance is valuable not only as nurse, but as interpreter, for he has a useful knowledge of English, French, Spanish and Chinese, as well as Portuguese, his native tongue. 14. CHAN-LOK, the principal Chinese dresser, was relieved from Post Mortem work at the Public Mortuary by the appointment of a regular mortuary assistant PAU Wo: much to the advantage of the patients whose wounds he has to dress.
15. The Chinese staff in general have worked fairly well: a small increase of pay to several of the senior nurses has had a beneficial effect.
When proper quarters are built for the Chinese attendants, changes will be less frequent among them and their work will be better done.
16. The maximum number of beds now available is 98, including nine for women.
A new building with accommodation for 54 beds is in course of construction.
17. The Hospital Register contains 1629 cases (54 more than in 1885), of which 6 were not admitted. The latter, comprising surgical injuries of various kinds were treated in the surgery and dismissed. A number of others were attended to of whom no record was kept.
The remaining 1623 treated in Hospital included 50 who remained at the end of 1885; of this number 602 were Police, and the remaining 1021 consisted of Government employés, officers and seamen from merchant ships of all nations and from foreign ships of war, private residents, destitutes, prisoners, and members of the Chinese Customs and Revenue services.
18. The Police admissions were more numerous than ever before, being 107 more than in 1885: ·
14 more Europeans, 35 more Indians, and 58 more Chinese.
The increasingly unwholesome condition of the town and of the foreshores accounts for this.
19. Table III shows the numbers from each Station.
20. The Police suffered principally from fevers and bowel complaints, bronchial affections and surgical injuries.