of 1914. Since that time successive Dental Boards have maintained a Register and acted as the examining and disciplinary bodies. During 1957 work started on the drafting of a new Dentists Registration Ordinance which was designed to bring the legislation up to date and more in line with the Medical Registration Ordinance. The Dentists Registration Ordinance 1959 replaces the Dental Board by a Dental Council and the new Council met for the first time on the 7th October. 1959. The new Council will continue to function as an examining body. 14. A tributs is paid to the work of successive Boards over the past 45 years which has culminated in a project approved in principle by the University of Hong Kong and the Government to establish a University Dental School, Arrangements for the pre-clinical training of dental students have been made in conjunction with the development of pre-clinical facilities in the Faculty of Medicine, due to become effective during 1962. Meantime the planning of a Dental Hospital has started with site investigations and the drafting of schedules of accommodation,
Mental Deficiency
15. A report on the problem of Mental Deficiency in Hong Kong was compiled in 1955 by a Sub-Committee of the Hong Kong Council of Social Services. This report recommended the building of an institu- tion to care for a number of known defectives who were being accom- modated in a variety of institutions unsuited to this purpose. Tentative plans were made thereafter to develop an institution of some 200 beds but the problem of recruiting an adequacy of suitable trained staff had proved to be almost insuperable.
16. In view of modern trends in the policy governing institutional care for mental defectives, Government decided to invite Dr. L. T. HILLIARD of the Fountain Hospital, London, who is a member of the W.HO. Expert Committee in Mental Deficiency, to visit Hong Kong and to report on the local situation and to make recommendations. Dr. HILLIARD accepted the invitation and spent six weeks in Hong Kong during February and March 1960. His report was submitted to Govern- ment at the end of March and is now being studied.
Planning
17. An important innovation during the year was the establishment of a Planning Section within the Medical Headquarters organization. In charge of a Principal Medical Officer assisted by an Hospital
Secretary all development projects are processed by this unit which is responsible for the co-ordination of all requests for accommodation and equipment for new Medical & Health Department institutions. The first task was to work out in some detail the development proposed for the five years 1960-65 and to make provisional estimates of the cost entailed. This task was completed and the proposals submitted to Government in December, 1959. In addition to work on departmental projects, assistance was also given to the Tung Wah Hospitals Medical Committee in connexion with the re-building of the Kwong Wah Hospital.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
18. Statutory responsibility for the administration of the services safeguarding the public health in Hong Kong lies jointly with the Director of Medical and Health Services, the Urban Council, the District Commissioner New Territories and the Commissioner of Labour. Executive functions in connexion with curative medical services and a number of aspects of preventive medicine throughout the Colony are the responsibility of the Medical and Health Department. The Urban Council is concerned with environmental sanitation in the urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon through the Urban Services Depart- ment. The District Commissioner has executive functions as the Health Authority for the New Territories and administers its environmental sanitary services. Health Officers are seconded in an advisory capacity to the Urban Services Department and the District Administration, New Territories. The Labour Department has an Industrial Health section which also has officers of the Medical and Health Department on its staff.
STAFF
19. The Director of Medical and Health Services is the Head of the Department, the chief adviser to Government on medical and health policy, and an official member of the Legislative Council. He is a member of a number of the Boards and Committees of voluntary organizations engaged in medical and health work whose activities receive substantial support by way of Government subventions. He is also the Chairman of the Radiation Board and of the Statutory Boards dealing with the registration and disciplinary control of Medical Practitioners. Dentists, Pharmacists, Nurses and Midwives.
20. The Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services is the chief executive medical and health officer who co-ordinates the work of the
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