(45.)
Suppose you had an establishment with a certain amount of European supervision, and the Chinese were prejudiced against it, is it not probable that they would die instead of going to that hospital ?--I do not think so, and I think if a hospital were established under European supervision the same as in Singapore in the course of five or ten years you would get the Chinese to come into it in the same way as they do at Singapore. You do not require to go to Singapore to see this-the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals in Hongkong show the same thing.
THE PRESIDENT-If the Chinese are so ready to remain under European treatment when once they have had experience of it, is it not strange, that they have not availed themselves more of it in the past ?--Because the Chinaman prefers rather to go to his own place; they know it is a place where they can go to and die. Many believe that the Government Civil Hospital is "a hell upon earth." The better educated Chinese, for instance, when this man got his leg cut off, endeavoured to foment trouble amongst the Chinese. I did not hear the man say so. I got my information at second hand, but it is probably true.
You state that the Chinese regard the Civil Hospital as "a hell upon earth." How is that so if they regard European treatment as more desirable? How is it that more have not gone to the Civil Hospital since it was established ?-Because every Chinaman knows where the Tung Wa Hospital is and they do not know where the Government Civil Hospital is. I can assure you a lot of Chinamen do not know of the Government Civil Hospital, not even rich Chinese shopkeepers. Not only that, many of them state that the Government Civil Hospital is a place where legs and arms are cut off. It was the same in 1894 during the plague when they stated that we gouged out the eyes of the patients and such like things. These statements were combated by Government proclamation at the time and were stated to be absolutely false. The mere fact that the educated classes of Chinese spread these reports amongst the ignorant coolies still keeps up the popular prejudice against Western medicines. If you take the Chinese who are discharged from the Government Civil Hospital you will find that a large proportion of them are not disposed to leave the Hospital. They do not want to go back to the Tung Wa Hospital and have absolutely refused to go there. They would rather stop in the Civil Hospital after they once experience our treatment,
Mr. THOMSON--The prejudice against hospitals is not confined to Hongkong; there is a strong prejudice about them at Home?--That is so, but it is dying out.
dices
IX
Mr. WHITEHEAD--Have you any idea as to the number of patients in the Hospital See Appen- at Singapore compared with that in the Tung Wa?—You can get that. I think the and x. numbers are about the same; they have a very large number of patients.
In the Tung Wa there are generally from 100 to 120. Do you think the numbers are the same in Singapore?--I think so, but I cannot remember the figures.
Have
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you a statement as to the annual cost of the Hospital at Singapore? Mr. WHITEHEAD--How do you view the introduction to the Tung Wa Hospital of a Chinese versed in Western medicine to be placed in charge of the receiving ward? -It would be a grand scheme if you have a European at the head who is going to give orders, but unless you have a European there I do not think there is a Chinaman who could hold his own against the others,
THE PRESIDENT-You know the Tung Wa Hospital is under the supervision of the Colonial Surgeon already and must comply with the sanitary regulations of the Colony ?—Yes.
Would that inspection be sufficient?-No; there are a great number of cases there which should not be treated there, and of course you would require absolutely the power of sending these people to the Civil Hospital. Say a man comes into the accident ward suffering from acute septicemia and there are six or seven men round about him with
See Appen2=
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