(16) On the 7th January 1907, at about 8-45 p.m., a Chinese Leprosy patient, a Government servant who was an Interpreter in the Police force, escaped from the Hospital. I was on duty when this event occurred, and the other person on duty in the entire Hospital premises and compound was one Chinese boy, whose duties, like mine, were multitudinous. The Medical Officer in charge did not consider it necessary the next morning to make any special report about the escape or to blame anyone for neglect; he merely stated in the column of remarks in the discharge return, "Escaped from Hospital about 8-30, or 8-45 p.m.;" because, as he rightly held, no one could have prevented it, and therefore there was no one to blame.
When the size of the Hospital compound is taken into consideration, coupled with the facts that the compound is in entire darkness at night, the open ground, and the easy facilities for escape;