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Arrangements were made for Chinese Doctors to examine and treat cases under the supervision of the Colonial Medical staff and a Naval Doctor (8299xxy). It was deemed advisable to give the Chinese Doctors a free hand at first - In any case it was difficult to persuade the Chinese to report cases of sickness, and their foolish and violent prejudice against Western Medical help was quite sufficient to induce them, as they certainly did for the first fortnight or three weeks, not only to secrete their sick but often to destroy their plague-stricken friends and relations after death.
It was under these circumstances that the necessity for a rigorous house visitation became most apparent to the Civil and Naval Authorities, and the Military, Major-General Barker and Commodore Boyes, at the suggestion of the Government, rendered every possible assistance in this direction. Naval and Military Doctors were furnished, and at least 300 men from the Shropshire Regiment, and officers and men from the R.E. and R.A. detachments, amongst others, were detailed for the duty of house visitation and for cleansing and disinfecting the houses in which cases of plague had occurred.
At this time, about the 21st May, the greatest dissatisfaction was shown by the Chinese Community with regard to the methods of visitation being employed. Complaints were heard that the privacy of women's apartments had been violated, that homes and children were being "frightened out of their wits" by the daily visits of the Military and Police, and then it began to be rumoured that the "Foreigners" had sinister and unspeakable designs on the women and children. I found, however, that these complaints were exaggerated and that the majority of the Chinese, after being made to understand what the object was which the Government had in view, did not object to the visitation but were insistent that their houses should be visited and disinfected and cleansed when necessary.
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