208 of its beds are devoted to the care of tuberculosis cases. Further, 180 beds constitute a relief hospital for convalescent cases from Queen Mary Hospital and Kowloon Hospital.
207. Because of the pressure on the acute beds in the general hospitals, it was found necessary during the year to improve and augment the staff of the hospital as cases requiring con- siderable care and treatment had to be transferred to the relief beds. The medical staff consists of 3 medical officers and 4 house officers and visits are paid to the hospital by various specialists from other institutions.
208. To the infectious section with 102 beds, a total of 1,484 cases were admitted. This was an increase of 176 on the previous year. Again, the two most important causes of admission were typhoid fever and diphtheria, of which there were, respectively, 518 and 417 cases. There were 115 measles admissions and tuberculous meningitis accounted for 48 cases. Like its counterpart on the Island this section of the hospital was under serious pressure in the middle of the year on account of the typhoid epidemic and a stage was reached when no further typhoid cases could be admitted and arrangements had to be made for surplus cases to be accepted by the Kwong Wah Hospital.
209. The total of cases treated in the tuberculosis section was 652, of which 442 were new cases. Full use was made of the beds available and all admissions were arranged through the Tuberculosis Service on the criteria to which reference has been made earlier in this report.
210. The relief hospital section of the institution admitted 3,957 cases during the year and the majority of these were orthopaedic.
Wanchai Social Hygiene Hospital.
211. This hospital, which provides accommodation for 20 beds and 2 cots, is situated in a congested area of Victoria in an old and unsuitable building and its function is to provide for the treatment of venereal disease in women. As well as
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in-patient treeatment an out-patient clinic is operated. There was a reduction in the number of admissions to 741 as compared with 1,106 in 1952. This reduction was accounted for by the extensive work of reconstruction and redecoration which was carried out during the year. This work will enable the hospital to continue in use for a few years but the time is not far distant when it will be essential either to rebuild on the present site or provide better alternative accommodation elsewhere.
Mental Hospital.
212. This institution situated on Hong Kong Island in nutmoded buildings has accommodation which is totally insulti- cient to meet the Colony's needs with its present population. For several years overcrowding in this institution has been a very serious problem and during the year under review the situation deteriorated. The hospital should accommodate 140 patients but, in fact, at the end of the year there were 300 and the problems which faced the staff were very grave indeed.
213. Overcrowding in the Mental Hospital is yet another of the undesirable results of the Colony's great population increase in recent years and the restriction on movements between the Colony and the Chinese Mainland. In the past many persona with mental illness were taken by their relatives to their villages in China and, in addition, an arrangement was in force whereby citizens of China so afflicted were transferred to the Mental Hospital in Canton. All this is changed and mental illness occurring within the Colony has to be dealt with from the Colony's own resources.
214. During the year there were 599 first admissions and 226 readmissions. The number of persons discharged from hospital with symptoms fully remitted was 478 and a further 179 were discharged much improved. In spite of the environ- mental conditions confronting the staff useful work was done. and all the usual physical methods of treatment were made use of including electronarcosis. Because of the difficulties of supervising chronic excited patients in conditions of serious overcrowding electro convulsive therapy, and to a lesser extent,
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