to ach
his F. R. who has written mucher
Gunting tune to look at these papers.
524/5
It may
not once
be
2
question
whether
...
245
April, 1st.
... many
funds begin to start the hospital out
of the Gambling licences fund, but certainly
nothing should be done which would elicit
a clamour for
an ex-gratia contribution
Seven minutes attached to 714
8704.
THE YEE TZE HOSPITAL. INQUEST
An Inquest was held at the Civil Hospital on Saturday afternoon, before F. Stewart, Esq., the Coroner, on the body of a Chinese emigrant, name unknown, who died in the Yee-taze Hospital.
The following were the Jury: Messrs. Edwin Farrell (foreman), Otto Frederick, and A. Thompson.
Mr. Alfred Lister, Acting Registrar General, said he first saw deceased on the morning of Thursday, 22nd instant; he then formed one out of from eight or ten persons in a building in Taipingshan, known as the Kwong Fook Yee-tsze. He did not enquire about deceased, but he was struck with the neglect and filth of the place. Next day he sent to carry away any dead bodies that might be in the place; one of those bodies was that of deceased. He could only say with regard to the attendance at the "Yee-tsze," that the attendants could not tell whether a man was dead or alive until they shook them. He had been to the "Yee-tsze" before, but there were no patients. There were six or eight rooms altogether, four of which were occupied by patients.
The first room he went into was not high enough for a man to stand upright in. It was about 3 by 4 feet. In this place there was a man on trestles and a Chinese bed. There were no windows, but a few slits in the wall. The bed filled up all the room. On this board lay a man whom he learnt was suffering from diarrhea. The man was barricaded in, and, when he saw him, was obeying a call of nature, where he lay, having no other place. The man has since died. There did not appear to be any medicine in the room; he (witness) was given to understand that the man was barricaded in the room because he was delirious.
The next room contained three people unable to speak or move. This room was about half the size of the inquest room (about 10 by 15 feet). The men were lying on Chinese beds. There were no mats, simply boards. The only ventilation was through the door, which he found was the only medium of air and light. This room was higher than the one last described, and was similar to boys' or coolies' rooms in a European house. The patients were very dirty, but there was no particular odour. All the rooms had conveniences, but from the state of the patients he doubted if they were used.
The third room contained three persons, one delirious, and one dead. They were all lying together on a wooden slab, and the floor was indescribably dirty. The next room contained two persons lying on an earthen floor; he should think in perfect darkness before the door was opened. He was told they were both dead, but Inspector Grey, who was with him, thought one was alive, but one of the attendants persisted that the patient was dead. He got the coolie to raise the man's stomach to see the effect. The coolie did so, the man groaned, and the coolie cursed him in Chinese. The other man was dead, but looked horribly dirty, especially about the legs, which showed the man had not been attended to for some time. The third body was dead and offensive.
He would incidentally mention that there was a coffin for the first dead man. He made enquiries about the patients, and was told some were from emigration houses, one or two were chair coolies, and the rest were people from families or shops about the town. He saw deceased twice, before he died, and once after he was dead. If he had lived, he would have been brought to the Civil Hospital. He found that on his second visit (half an hour after the first) one of the dead was in a coffin, the floors had been cleaned up, and food had been put for some of the people; that is, a basin of rice put by the people; in fact, a basin of rice with a fried boiled egg in it, and some other things were placed beside a dead body, which had since been moved by him. He saw an attendant trying to give a delirious man some tea, but if he might express an opinion, he believed it was only because he was there.
He had since removed all the patients, dead and alive, but two only are surviving. He had closed up the place temporarily. He believed that the Yee-tsze was a place where persons were taken not to be cured but to die, and to avoid the Chinese prejudice of having anyone die in the house. The commonest dictates of humanity had not been paid to the unfortunate while dying. He would like to say to the jury and the public that he did not believe the state of things had existed for any long time. He had himself visited the place three times.
...
In 91143/69
Daily Press of 26th April 1917.
162