16
A special anti-epidemic measure has been the whole-time employment of staffs on clearance and treatment of damaged buildings. This work has included weekly spraying with D.D.T., crude oil mixture, of buildings and. also, of welis likely to be used for putable purposes by destitute squatters.
in the rural areas comprising the New Territories, there are five health inspectors, with headquarters at the principal centres. These inspectors work under the direction of a health officer."
The health inspectorate at the end of 1946 had been built up to three chief health inspectors, six senior health inspectors thirty-four European health inspectors, fifty-two Chinese bealth inspectors and seventeen probationer health inspectors in training.
As an incentive for good work and not to leave the service for batter remQLI- erated posts, ten Chinese health inspectors were promoted to the "European" grade as from the 1st of October, 1946.
(a) Centrex.
VI MATERNITY & CHILD WELFARE
Three maternity and child welfare centres functioned in 1946, the Tsim Sha Teuf Centre, Kowloon, the Western Centre, Sai Ying Pun, and the Wanchai Centre in the premises formerly occupied by the Japanese Maijimia Hospital. On the 26th of June, 1946, the third centre was moved to the Harcourt Health Centre named after Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt who commanded the mixed force which liberated the Colony on the 31st of August, 1945.
At all three contrès the activities include antenatal, neo-natal and gynaecolo gical clinics, care of babies up to two years of age and instruction in mothercraft.
In all, some 2,467 expectant mothers were examined at these clinics and 5,460 women attended the gynaecological clinica. Some 66,603 babies were attended at the clinics of which number 13,972 were classifled as "healthy"
Nutritional disorders were by far the most common met with. In this con- nexion, it is of interest to note that forty-four babies were said to have been seen with signs of suggestive deficiency of vitamin C out of some 17,017 classified in the group of diseases of nutrition, including vitamin deficiency.
Second in importance were diseases of the respiratory system and, particularly, acute bronchitis A proportion of these cases might, perhaps, have been due to malaria, ascariasia, etc.
17
The following aummary indicates the main features of the work carried out at the Taan Yuk Hospital in 1946.
ד
A.
Mothers.
Booked.
Emergency.
Total.
1.
Delivered in hospital
(a) discharged well
1,391
(b) transferred
5
1,359 2
2,750
2
Admitted after delivery
4
11
16
*
Discharged undelivered
100
124
224
4
Abortions
1
12
13
6.
Undelivered, remaining in hospital 2
1.
3
Totals:
**********. 1,503
1,509
3,012
Of the 1,503 booked cases, 499 were primigravidae and of the emergency cases 390 were primigravidae.
Presentations (excluding twins) gave the following figures:-
anterior position of occiput 1,545, posterior 97, breech 86, face 2, brow 1.
shoulder 6.
Twin presentations included anterior position of occiput 25, posterior 3, breach 23, shoulder 1.
Abnormal conditions attending delivery included:---
Ante-partum haemorrhage
Post-partum haemorrhage
Toxaemia
Prolapse of cord
Hydramnios
Primary uterine inertia
Operative delivery:
(a) forceps
** ་་་་་་
16 26
34
10
3
*
78
(b) version
10
(c) craniotomy
1
Perineal laceration and episiotomy....kameras pembeda
86
Manual removal of placenta...
14
Maternal morbidity comprised 15 cases of puerperal infection and 88 other conditions giving an overall morbidity rate of 37.4 par thousand.
The hospital can, with justifiable pride, lay claim to the fact that not one death occurred in a lying-in mother during the year.
Of
B.
Babies.
Borp alive and survived.......................... Still-births
Macerated foctus
Neonatal deaths
Diseases of the skin and cellular tissue came third with eczema, abscess and ring worm predominating, followed by diseases of the digestive system.
trachoma
In worm infestations, round worm infections were the most common. diseases of the organs of special. acnse, acute conjunctivitis and preponderated.
Apart from the work done at the three welfare centres referred to. & con- siderable amount of attention was given by the staff of the maternal and ebild welfare department to orphanages, relief centres and camps for destitutes.
As in previous years nutritious meals were provided for expectant and nursing mothers at the centres and a free issue of milk for habies. In addition and in conjunction with the Society for the Protection of Children who generously provided most of the staff for the purpose, evaporated and dried whole milk was sold at cost to needy mothers with babies.
(b) Maternity hospitals and komies.
The Tsan Yuk (Government Maternity) Hospital maintained its high standard of service to the community under the capable guidance of Professor C. King and, for the last two months of the year, of Dr. S. K. Lam. In fact, it may be said that this institution had to bear the additional burden arising from the continued occupa- tion by the Royal Naval Authorities of those portions of the Queen Mary Hospital reserved before the Pacific War for obstetrical and gynaecological patients.
1 :
Prenlarume-
2,502
105
46
32
21
33
15
23
Among the 2,777 babies delivered, the still-birth rate amounted to 47.5 per «thousand, the neonatal death-rate 13.7 per thousand and the combined death-rate
61.2 per thousand."
Outpatients at the Tsan Yuk Hospital numbered 9,906 during the year, includ- ing 5,860 antenatal and 4,046 gynaecological cases. From the end of September onwards, obstetrical patients only were seen at the hospital.
The hospital would benefit considerably if a new theatre, isolation wards, quarters, outpatient department and kitchen could be constructed.
In all three Chinese hospitals, maternity wards continued to flourish, and work of this nature was carried out at Kowloon Hospital, Chinese (Eastern) Maternity