The Tung Wa hospital used to be regarded with some suspicion. It is possible that all the money collected for hospital purposes is used as stated, i.e., it is supported by voluntary subscription, though it was also received government assistance, and managed by a voluntary committee. Its aim is to care for Chinese patients according to Chinese methods. These methods, when undiluted, seem to be a mixture of barbarism and quackery. "There was no such hospital in existence. It would not be right for a British Government, at this time, to encourage or countenance one; and its existence has this disadvantage (in that it probably takes in patients who might otherwise resort to more civilised institutions); but if it was abolished, I suspect, with Dr. Ayres, that some abuses would go underground and do more harm than in the light."
But I see no alternative but to accept, as an experiment, what the Governor suggests. It would not be right to allow this hospital to go on without constant supervision, and the want of supervision would be very undesirable. I suspect it has arisen from a laudable desire not to interfere with the Chinese managing their own institution in their own way.
In the Straits—as far as I know—there is no such hospital as the Tung Wa, and Chinese readily avail themselves of European treatment; but the difference is between China and British Hong Kong, where a very large proportion of Chinese are fresh from China. How suspicions can be seen from these papers. The government is to pay $2400 for an English doctor to be visiting surgeon of the hospital and $1800 for a ...
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(The last paragraph is incomplete due to OCR damage or missing text)
has been rewritten to meet the requirements as follows:The Tung Wa hospital used to be regarded with some suspicion.
It is possible that all the money collected for hospital purposes is used as stated, i.e., it is supported by voluntary subscription, though it was also received government assistance, and managed by a voluntary committee. Its aim is to care for Chinese patients according to Chinese methods. These methods, when undiluted, seem to be a mixture of barbarism and quackery.
"There was no such hospital in existence. It would not be right for a British Government, at this time, to encourage or countenance one; and its existence has this disadvantage (in that it probably takes in patients who might otherwise resort to more civilised institutions); but if it was abolished, I suspect, with Dr. Ayres, that some abuses would go underground and do more harm than in the light."
But I see no alternative but to accept, as an experiment, what the Governor suggests.
It would not be right to allow this hospital to go on without constant supervision, and the want of supervision would be very undesirable. I suspect it has arisen from a laudable desire not to interfere with the Chinese managing their own institution in their own way.
In the Straits—as far as I know—there is no such hospital as the Tung Wa, and Chinese readily avail themselves of European treatment; but the difference is between China and British Hong Kong, where a very large proportion of Chinese are fresh from China.
How suspicions can be seen from these papers. The government is to pay $2400 for an English doctor to be visiting surgeon of the hospital and $1800 for a ...
Page 394
However, to follow the exact format required (HTML withfor paragraphs), the final version is presented as is.