Enclosures
No 11
C.O.
1832
574
17 JAN OC
Report by the Principal Civil Medical Officer.
Honourable Colonial Secretary.
I fail to see the advantages to be derived from
the appointment of a Lady Doctor in this Colony for the fol-
lowing reasons:
1. The Chinese women do not object to submit
themselves to treatment by medical men. There is with them
no caste prejudice, as in the case of the native of India
and Ceylon, which absolutely prevents a native woman from
even being seen by a medical man.
2. Chinese and Japanese women readily attend the
out-patient department of this Hospital and of the Alice and
Nethersole Hospitals, and not only so but they are by no
means reluctant to be admitted as in-patients, the number of
which increases every year as the following figures show
No. of women admitted to Government
Civil Hospital.
1894, 254.
1897, 384.
1898, 411.
3. From an administrative point of view it
would be much preferable to increase the staff by the addi-
tion of another medical man rather than a Lady Doctor, as
her services would not be available for other work in the
Department when necessity arises either from illness or
during absence on leave.
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4.