214
No.
S
HONGKONG, 10th February, 1898.
SIR,--I have the honour to request you to transmit the enclosed Report regarding Pó Léung Kuk to the Honourable the Registrar General.
Dr. J. M. ATKINSON,
Principal Civil Medical Officer,
&c.,
I have the honour to be,
Sir, Your obedient Servant,
JOHN C. THOMSON.
&o.,
&c.
Pó LEUNG KUK, HONGKONG, 10th February, 1898.
SIR, I have the honour to report that in accordance with your request I have throughout the past year visited the Pó Léung Kuk two or three times a week, and when certain slight epidemics which I shall mention were prevalent I attended at the institution daily. Dr. CHUNG has made a daily visit, and at my request has for convenience supplied medicines required direct from the Tung Wa Hospital, when he has had them in his stock of drugs there.
The general health of the inmates has been good. The sanitary state of the buildings and draius is satisfactory. The dormitories are maintained in a clean and orderly condition. The food supplied is wholesome and sufficient.
17 cases of mumps occurred in February and March, and were isolated in a dormitory on the top floor. The attacks were of a mild type, and all made rapid recovery.
A case of Small-pox having occurred in March, I had all the inmates in whom it seemed desirable vaccinated, including the matron, three amahs, and 25 girls. Thereafter Dr. CaHUNG vaccinated all new-comers, until lymph was no longer available; and has recently vaccinated all who have since that time entered the Home.
In July, at my suggestion, the concrete of the ground-floor rooms was covered by a movable flooring of wooden boards.
During August and September nine cases of Beri-Beri occurred. The first few cases were sent to the Government Civil Hospital, but as they proved to be not serious they were returned, and with those that occurred later were isolated within the Pó Léung Kuk itself. In order to stop the epidemic, besides careful isolation of the patients, very thorough disinfection of the building, and of all furniture, bedding, and clothing was performed, beans were added to the dietary of all the inmates, and later the rice supply was changed. Finally, all the girls affected were sent to the care of a similar institution in Canton. One case has since occurred, in November, and was sent to the Government Civil Hospital.
In September, a number of the girls having suffered from slight attacks of Intermittent Fever, I suggested the advisability of permitting some of them to work during the day on the first floor, instead of making all of them spend most of their time on the ground floor, and this was done, the girls taking it in turn to work upstairs.
Several cases of venereal disease and one or two cases of acute illness have during the year been sent to the Government Civil Hospital, where one girl died of Pneumonia in December. No other death has occurred among the inmates during 1897.
I think it would be well that the medical oversight of the Pó Léang Kuk should come directly under the control of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, with whom, as a matter of fact, I have already acted in consultation in all matters of importance that I have had to deal with. I would suggest to you that the committee should formally request him to supply medical attendance to the institution, that I may have direct instructions from my chief in the matter.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
The Honourable
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Registrar General,
fc.,
Ff.,
Fc.
JOHN C. THOMSON, M.D.