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THE TUNG WAH BRANCH PLAGUE HOSPITAL.
To assist the Government to cope with the epidemic, and to induce the Chinese to make earlier declaration of cases of Plague occurring in their houses, a Native Plague Hospital was opened by the Directors of the Tung Wah Hospital on 2nd May, and remained open until 27th June.
This Hospital, which was described as the Tung Wah Branch Plague Hospital, consisted of twenty-two matsheds erected on the shore in front of the Government Infective Diseases Hospital at Kennedy Town, three of which had previously been used in connection with that institution, whilst the others were specially built. These were used for purposes as follows:-
5 wards,
1 (in 3 divisions) Directors' Room, Students' Room, and Office,
2 divided to form Doctors' Rooms,
1 Dispensary and sleeping room for dispensers,
1 Room for disinfecting visitors,
1 Fire-engine house,
1 Porter's room,
3 Coolie houses,
1 Amahs' room,
2 Kitchens,
1 Laundry,
1 Mortuary,
1 Coffin store,
1 Latrine.
The five wards contained accommodation for 100 patients, and night in case of need have taken in a larger number without being injuriously overcrowded. Fortunately, the epidemic was not such as at any time to use them to their full capacity.
The wards and some of the other matsheds were built on piles, out from the sea-wall, the floors being on a level with the top of the wall; and thus was secured the advantage of having the whole area under them washed twice a day by the tides, as well as a very free circulation of air within them. They all had verandahs on the side fronting to the sea, and the new ones also on the opposite side.
The following staff of Employés was arranged for at the date of opening:
2 Students of Western medicine,
8 Native Chinese doctors,
1 Chinese clerk,
1 Head-coolie,
2 Dispensers,
4 Cooks,
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3 Boys (attendants for doctors and students),
2 Amabs,
30 Coolies (ward attendants, &c.),
2 Night-soil coolies,
1 Messenger,
1 Barber.
This Staff was gradually reduced as it became apparent that the epidemic was not going to prove so serious as was at one time anticipated.
I visited the Branch Hospital twice a day for purposes of diagnosis and sanitary supervision, until near the end of the epidemic when I attended once a day. Dr. CHUNG, Resident House-Surgeon in the Tung Wah Hospital for European treatinent, also visited the Branch Hospital twice daily.
The two students of the College of Medicine for Chinese were engaged at my suggestion to allow patients the same option of treatment by Chinese or European methods that is now given to all who enter the Tung Wah Hospital. It was found, however, in practice that the choice made at the Tung Wah Hospital by patients or their friends to be sent to the Government Plague Hospital or the Tung Wah Branch Hospital respectively, included their choice of methods of treatment, and all who came to the latter expected to be treated by the Chinese doctors. The work of these students, therefore, came to be the keeping of necessary records; the preparation of the daily returns made to His Ex- cellency the Officer Administering the Government, the Principal Civil Medical Officer, and the Sanitary Board; and the carrying out of my instructions regarding the sanitary maintenance of the Hospital; while they were occasionally called in by the native doctors to incise buboes and othe to some extent modify the native treatment.
A police guard was maintained night and day at the gate of the Branch Hospital by the Captain Superintendent of Police, to secure the carrying out of regulations for the prevention of the spread of infection from the Hospital.
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