ALICE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
HISTORY TRACED BY DR. R. M. GIBSON
ROTARY ADDRESS
Dr. R.M. Gibson, Medical Superintendent of the Alice Memorial and Affiliated Hospitals, gave an interesting address to the Rotary Club at their tiffin at the Roof Garden of the Hongkong Hotel yesterday on the history and work of the hospital.
Rotarian M.K. Lo resided, and guests welcomed where Rotarian E. C. Jarman, of the Adelaide Rotary Club, Australia, from whom he brought greetings, Rotarian T.Y. Deane (Canton), Mr. J.S. Asquith (London), Dr. R.M. Alderton, Mr. K.Z. Lim, Mr. W.D. Brown (Shanghai) and Mr. W.L. McKenzie.
Dr. Gibson, in the course of his address said: Mr. Chairman and members of the H.K. Rotary Club, I esteem it a great privilege to be asked to give an outline of the history of the Alice Memorial and Affiliated Hospitals.
It is 47 years since the Alice Memorial was opened and the history was briefly as follows. As far back as 1843, the London Missionary Society had begun medical work in this Colony for the poor, but that was given up in 1853. After an interval of thirty years another effort was made when a Dispensary for out-patients only was started in Saiyingpoon. It proved very successful and Dr. William Young, who was keenly interested, acted as Hon. Physician, pending the appointment of a doctor by the L.M.S. This effort was evidently successful, but without hospital beds to receive the more serious cases seen at an out-patient clinic, the service was limited.
That there was a need for the Dispensary was shown by the numbers who attended the clinics and, the Committee soon began to consider the possibility of erecting a hospital.
When this larger scheme was contemplated, the Committee was strengthened by the addition of members representative of all sections of the Community, and it is noteworthy that this co-operation has been present throughout the history of the institutions.
OPENED IN 1887
The first problem was to secure a suitable site. It was found that there was a site in Hollywood Road for sale, which could be purchased for $22,000 and the Society offered to give a grant of $14,000, on condition that the additional sum of $8,000 required, was subscribed in Hongkong. A ready response was given locally and the amount needed having been received, the site was purchased. Meantime, Dr. Ho Kai, (the late Sir Kai Ho Kai), had generously offered to provide the hospital building and in 1887, the Alice Memorial Hospital, named in memory of Alice, the wife of the donor, was opened.
This was one of the earliest instances in the Colony, of co-operation between Chinese and British in a charitable work and it is of interest to note that the same spirit of co-operation has continued throughout the history of the Institutions. There have been many changes in the personnel of the Committees and Staff but this comradeship in a cause which had for its aim the relief of the sick poor has been the means of solving difficult problems. There were some who doubted the wisdom of this venture, because