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Are you in favour of the commode system as compared with the water system ?---
?. I do not know sufficient about the Chinese to say. I think the commodes might be placed in compartments in the verandahs, and, if necessary, the attendants might go out for the commodes or the patient might go to the verandah. Personally, I should be in favour of water-closets. The people would gradually get into the use of them if properly supervised. There ought to be a surgical ward distinct from the medical wards, because patients suffering from open sores will only make the wards unhealthy for patients suffering from other diseases. The Tung Wa Hospital seemed to me like a combination of a Poor Law hospital, an incurable hospital and a home for the dying. All these three exist in England, but they are separate, in different institutions. The day will come in Hongkong, surely, when all three branches will be separated. Prob- ably, the incurables who are badly placed within the city will be taken to an institution outside the city, where they will be better and happier and able to walk about. The Tung Wa does not afford space for that. In the same way, it is a question how far this should be made a home for the dying, how far cases of this sort should be mixed up with cases for the ordinary hospital treatment. So far as I can see, the Tung Wa Hospital is bound to become the place for the treatment of cases as opposed to an incurable home and a home for the dying.
Do
you think the situation of the Hospital is a menace to public health in any way? That depends entirely how it is administered and looked after. There is a series of wards in the old part of the Hospital-special wards for incurables, I believe--- that require reconstruction or better ventilation. Large open windows should be put into these cells.
THE PRESIDENT—These are to be reconstructed.
Mr. WHITEHEAD—There is only one entrance to these wards?—There is a door and no window at the back whatever.
THE PRESIDENT-Is there no ventilation?-There is no through ventilation. The wall in front of you as you open the door is not a party wall; it is an end wall, and in two or three days holes could be broken in this wall and through ventilation given to each ward.
THE PRESIDENT-These are the Ko-fong wards to which reference has been made by more than one witness. They were originally constructed for small-pox patients, but small-pox patients are not taken there now, and the wards are only used occasionally. Mr. WHITEHEAD-Notwithstanding that, when we were there a fortnight ago a number of these wards were occupied and there was absolutely no ventilation, except what came in at the door. The walls at the back of the wards are not abutting or adjoining anything, and a window could be cut into them at very small expense to afford through ventilation.
THE PRESIDENT-The idea is to get rid of these wards altogether.
Mr. WHITEHEAD--Did you more particularly observe the surgical ward ?—Yes. Is it a suitable ward for the treatment of surgical cases and deserving of the term applied to it "a Chamber of Horrors?"—That is an exaggeration. I think. I did not know when I went there if anything had been prepared. It was a surprise visit.
Did you observe any instances where the bedding or clothing was in a dirty or filthy condition?--Yes, they were in a filthy condition.
Would it be desirable to have some definite rules as to a fixed day for changing the bedding and another to change the clothing?--Yes, I think a series of English rules might be translated into Chinese, and that the bedding and clothing should be changed once or twice a week so that the visitor to the Hospital could see from the rules whether the conditions were being complied with. The bedding was absolutely filthy; I refer to the coverlets.