2
Complete and most friendly cooperation and coordination of effort was secured by the appointment by the Governor of the Medical Advisory Board under the chairmanship of the director of medical services on which the three Services were represented in addition to private medical interests.
At the close of the year under review the major portion of the European staff of the department had returned to the Colony but there were serious gaps in the locally appointed staff, especially in trained personnel.
year>--
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B. Legislation.
The following legislation affecting the public health was enacted during the
Ordinance
Ordinance No. 25 of 1946 aiming at the control of hawkers, dated 1st November,
1946.
By-laws:
(a) Under "Markets" in the schedule to the Public Health (Food) Ordinance,
1935, dated 15th August, 1946.
(b) Under Slaughter-houses" in the above-mentioned schedule, dated 19th
September, 1946.
(c) Under "Laundries" in the schedule to the Public Health (Sanitation)
Ordinance, 1985, dated 17th October, 1946.
(d) Under "Dangerous and Offensive Trades" in the schedule to the Public
Health (Sanitation) Ordinance, 1935, dated 31st October, 1948.
Orders by the Governor-in-Council:-
(a) Various orders made under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance, 1936, declaring ports infected, and free from infection, from dangerous quarantinable diseases.
(b) Déclaring Isonipecaine under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, 1935, dated
12th November, 1946.
Proclamations under the British Military Administration:—
(8) No. 18. Prevention of Malaria, making wet cultivation of certain crops
illegal in urban area, dated 9th January, 1946.
(b) No. 28. Venereal Disease, providing for compulsory treatment of infected
persons in certain circumstances, dated 21st March, 1946.
(c) No. 16. Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, 1934, registration of births and deaths occurring between the 24th November, 1941, and the 15th December, 19545, inclusive, dated 11th February, 1946.
Regulations under the British Military Administration.......
(a) Scale of Charges for fumigation and disinfection of ships under the Quaran- tine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance, 1936, dated 28th March, 1946.
(b) Amending emergency regulations for Prevention of Cholera dated 19th
April, 1946.
Revenue and expenditure:
C. Finance.
Total expenditure by the Medical Department during the year 1946...$7,807,676.08 Revenue collected for the same period....
Estimated expenditure during the financial year 1st April, 1941, to 31st
March, 1942
612,90616
4,726,839.00
It is estimated that some $424,160.00* would have been collected by thia department in fees during the same year.
No attempt has been made to compare the estimated figures for 1941 - 1942 with those for 1946 since the cost of everything was very much higher in the latter period. Moreover, the figure for 1946 includes the cost of rehabilitating the department in part.
1946-1947 actual revenue (excluding April, 1846) $803,762.86.
3
With the exception of a revision of the fees for fumigation and disinfection of shipping, etc., in the Port of Hong Kong, fees during 1946 were similar to those prevailing in 1941.
II.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
General remarks.
The year 1946 was the first full year following the liberation of Hong Kong from the Japanese yoke. It was a year of rehabilitation, although there was still a considerable amount of leeway to make up at its close. Shortage of staff, resignations of trained personnel and lack of equipment, especially of reliable transport, alowed down the speed of return to normal.
A remarkable increase in population took place. By the end of the year it is estimated that a figure was resched very little smaller than that at the outbreak of the Pacific War, namely, one and a half millions. This influx was, possibly, the result of the operation of two main factors: firstly, conflict in Kwang Tung between groups of guerillas with leftist tendencies and members of Peace Pacification Corps representing the Kuomintang Government of China; and, secondly, the return of former inhabitants who had escaped to Free China during the Japanese occupation and of others eager to share in the benefits of freedom, security, trade, justice and good administration.
Two serious outbreaks of dangerous infectious disease afflicted the Colony, Cholera reached epidemic proportions in June and smallpox four months later.
In spite of all these blots on the health record, the general health of the population, as judged by morbidity and mortality returns was remarkably good and augurs well of the Colony's ability to reach normality. In fact, the nutritional state of the community, as evidenced by sample surveys of adults as well as of school children, was on a higher level than in any of the years immediately preceding the Second World War. This satisfactory state of affairs was still more substantiated by the number of deaths and the death-rate per mille which were lower than for many years past.
[F]. VITAL STATISTICS.
Fetimated by extrapolation methods on the normal intercensal increase, the population at mid-year 1946 would amount to 1,168,815, Inevitably, such estimates must be very approximate, since they are based on the last census which took place fifteen years ago. This point is, perhaps more clearly appreciated if it is remembered that the population doubled between the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in July, 1937, and the summer immediately preceding the Pacific War of 1941, and foll again by about one million in the next three and a half years.
Elements of the non-Chinese' population varied somewhat considerably from the pre-war make-up. For example, the total number of European civilians, especially of women and children, was much less than normal in the first half of the year and the balance was only partially rectified by the end of the year.
Furthermore, members of the Indian (civilian) community numbered little more than 2,000 owing to large scale repatriation to India during the six months following the liberation of the Colony.
A. Births.
Records for births are incomplete owing to the hostilities in December, 1941, and the subsequent lack of interest in birth registration manifested by the Japanese during the period 1942-1945 (August).
Year: Births:
1940
45,064
1941 46,000 (estimated)
1942 10,343
1943 20,732
*1840-1847 births 35,177, birth-rate 30.1.
Year: Ehirtha:
1944 13,687
1945
3.712 (to 31st August only)
1946*
31,098