"
340
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
;
[May 9, 1895.
If the disease should unfortunately spread ten or twelve years ago the feeling in favour required by the local Government Act of and attain the proportions of an epidemic, of the establishment of such a body seemed England should be got out from home. then God help the colony, for we can look for to be rather strong, but no definite action It is, we think, unfortunate that in the little help from the officials, whose hostility in the matter was then taken, and. of Ordinance recently passed establishing the to the Sanitary Board is an indication of the late years the pendulum appears to have office of Medical Officer of Health the blundering nature of their policy. The swung a little in the opposite direction. minimum qualifications were not inserted in crisis last year was dealt with by a perma- The crisis brought about by the the terms used in the English Local Govern- nent committee of the Sanitary Board who, in Government's arrogant hostility to the ment Act, but seeing that those qualifications the words of the Governor's despatch to the Sanitary Board has, however, caused it to are not yet held by the majority of doctors Secretary of State (written before the hosti- be recognised that something should be and the difficulty there might consequently lity to the Sanitary Board had developed), done to secure greater control to the rate-be in filling temporary vacancies there may "in conjunction with Dr. Lowson, Dr. payers over purely local affairs. The deter- have been good reason for the omission. On PENNY, R.N., and Surgeon-Major JAMES, mination of the Government to dispense with looking over the local Medical Register as "acted with extraordinary energy and effi- the assistance of the unofficial members of published in the last issue of the Gazette we "ciency." Under present circumstances ex- the Sanitary Board--all men having excep- see that Dr. CANTLIE holds the certificate of traordinary energy and efficiency seem too tional qualifications for the duties of their health of the Royal College of Physicians, much to hope for. The Permanent Composition-in order to hand the sanitation of London, and that Dr. HARTIGAN is a diplo mittes no longer exists. At the last meeting the colony over to a young army surgeon mate of state medicine of Dublin, but with of the Sanitary Board some discussion took without any special training or proved apti- these exceptions none of our local doctor-. place on this point. Mr. F. H. MAY, tude for the work is so outrageous that it seem to have taken qualifications of this the Vice-President of the Board, spoke could not possibly be approved of at description. That the colony should have of the desirability of filling up the va- home, and a memorial to the Secretary of been deprived of Dr. HARTIGAN's services cancies on the committee, of which he was State praying that the Sanitary Board may as a member of the Sanitary Board in cons then the sole remaining member, and Mr. be given wider powers and a more indepen- sequence of the Government's hostility to MAT himself has since left the colony. In dent position would at once be granted. If unofficials having anything to do with public reply to Mr. MAY's remarks, the Acting it be the case that the leading members of questions, especially questions of sanitation, Medical Officer of Health, the officer who the community do not desire a Municipal is under the circumstances particularly re- according to the Governor's idea should Council and would prefer not to be asked to grettable. be able to undertake the whofe of the serve upon such a body there is at all events sanitary work of the colony single handed, very little difference of opinion as to the said "he was not quite sure whether he necessity of maintaining the Sanitary Board "would have time to serve on the com- and giving it such an extension of power as "mittee !" That is extraordinary and not at may be necessary to enable it properly to all reassuring. The Sanitary Board has carry out the duties suggested by its name. been practically dissolved, consisting as it does now only of officials, and the particular official appointed with special reference to plague work is not quite sure whether he will have time to attend to it! Under the circumstances we can only hope that Pro- vidence will be kind to the colony and spare us any further visitation of the plague, for we are evidently ill prepared to cope with it
if it comes.
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONGKONG.
THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH AND HIS QUALIFICATIONS.
៩
46
THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
Now that the unofficial members have been
paper this inorning, is not so much a house- to-house visitation as a drain to drain visi- "tation, and, unless we can flush these drains regularly, I am afraid we shall not get rid "of the seeds of the disease. It would be
compelled to leave the Sanitary Board the drainage arrangements of the Government are likely to escape some of that wholesome criticism to which they might with advant- age be subjected. The Hon. Ho KAI, how- ever, as a member of the Legislative Council, can keep the ball rolling, and we trust he Since the colony is to have a Medical will take an early opportunity of ascer Officer of Health, whether independent of taining, by questions addressed to the Go- the Sanitary Board or as an officer of that vernment, the real position in regard to this body, it is desirable that the gentleman ap-important subject. Speaking in Council on pointed should have full qualifications for the the 12th June last, when the plague was position. In the English Public Health Act raging in our midst, the Governor said: of 1875 it was provided that "A person shall" What we want, as was well said in the "not be appointed medical officer of health "under this Act unless he is a legally qualified medical practitioner." In the The article which we recently reproduced Local Government Act of 1888 the quali from The Times on the petition of the in- fication was raised and it was provided that habitants of Hongkong for an amendment no person should be appointed medical" retrograde of me to say, perhaps, that the of the constitution places before us the home officer of health of any county or district or separate drainage system was a failure, but view on the subject. At the time the peti- combination of districts having a popu- I cannot help being of opinion that the tion was forwarded we expressed ourselves lation of fifty thousand or more in-
proper system, if it could be carried out, as not being very hopeful of its success and habitants unless he was also "the for Chinatown would be the surface system suggested that it would have been more "holder of a diploma in sanitary science, "(hear, hear)-which is in force in the useful to ask for the establishment of a
public health, of state medicine ander sec- "West India Islands, where I have resided, Municipal Council thap for an unofficial
tion 21 of the Medical Act, 1886," an ex- "There you see everything above ground, majority in the Legislative Council. This ception being made, as is usual in such "whilst here you do not see the dead cats, opinion is echoed by The Times, which, cases, in favour of persons holding appoint. "the dead rats, and old rags that fill up the after setting out the reason which in its ments at the time of the passing of the Act. "drains and cause such an intolerable and opinion renders the representative system If this qualification is considered necessary" dangerous nuisance." His Excellency en- inapplicable to the colony, says: This, in England, much more ought it to be cou-closed a report of this speech in one of his "however, is not a reason why, if Hong-sidered necessary in the case of Hongkong, despatches to the Secretary of State, and "kong has just cause to complain of un- where the application of sanitary science to "necessary Imperial interference with the unusual conditions presents a difficult pro- "administration of purely local affairs, blem requiring for its satisfactory solution some remedy for the grievances of the special technical knowledge. Dr. WESTCOTT, colony should not be found. The establish- who has been provisionally appointed to the" "ment of a Municipal Council with power office, is an army surgeon, and, so far as we are "to control certain local expenditure, the aware, his attainments command the respect of "introduction of an unofficial member to his fellow inedicos, but prima facie it would" "the executive council, or other means of not strike one that the selection of an army "gratifying the very laudable desire of the surgeon was the best that could be made for "citizens of the colony to be responsible for the position, except possibly to fill it tem "the administration of local affairs which porarily, and Dr. WESTCOTT's letters read "concern them more nearly than any one else at a recent meeting of the Sanitary Board, might be agreed upon without calling for in which he referred to the drainage of "the intervention of the House of Commons." Shaukiwan and announced his intention of Without going so far as to suggest that this making himself acquainted with the or- article was officially inspired we think it ganisation of the Board's staff seemed to may not unreasonably be taken as embodying indicate that he was not specially familiar the views entertained in Downing Street. If with sanitary science. We hope his services that be so, the reference to a Municipal Council may prove of advantage to the colony as is noteworthy, as it goes to confirm the long as he holds the temporary appoint opinion that if the colony wants a Municipal ment, but for filling the office permanently Council it has only to ask for it. Some a man possessing the special qualifications
"
65
Lord RIPON in reply wrote " Mr. COOPER "has been consulted informally with regard to the drainage question, as affected by the plague; but as to any measures to be taken for the prevention of similar troubles here- after, by promoting sanitation and pro- hibiting overcrowding, I prefer to wait until you have been able to consult "him after his return to the colony; "which is now imminent, and are able to "submit definite proposals with some ap- "proximate estimate of the cost." Mr. COOPER has now been back nearly six months, but as yet no public announcement has been made with respect to the drainage question. Meanwhile everything continues as though the underground system was to be permanently continued, the drainage of new houses and the redraining of old ones being conducted in accordance therewith, which would be a great waste of money if it were in contemplation to carry out the recommendation of the Permanent Com