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Medical: The number of women who have been given advice on family limitation is 135. Before any woman is instructed in methods of birth control, a full medical history is taken and a careful examination is performed by a doctor. It is surprising how much curable disease is found amongst the patients. Ill health is taken for granted by women who have had many children and many of them are found to be suffering from chronic invalidism. In a number of cases we have been able to detect disease in its early stages and to treat it accordingly. In this way a birth control clinic not only helps a woman in the spacing of her family but also assists her in keeping in sound health.
Disease is seen at a time when it can be cured and before it has reached the stage of incurability.
This aspect of the work must be considered of primary importance and in time will have a far-reaching effect as far as maternal health is concerned.
The pathetic cases that are met are those women who, having large families without the means to support them, become pregnant again. They adopt one course only, at the risk of their own lives, namely, criminal abortion. These are the mothers whom we help by giving birth control advice.
An analysis of cases is as follows:-
Number of women receiving advice
135
Total number of attendances
199
Average number of pregnancies per case Average number of living children Average age of mothers
6.3
4.6
32 years.
It is most encouraging to find patients recommending their friends to come to us for advice. They rarely fail on their return visits to express their gratitude for our attempt to make their lives more tolerable.
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It is important also to call attention to the high average age of the women treated, as this in itself constitutes a rebuttal of the suggestion that the facilities provided will be made use of largely or chiefly by younger women for immoral purposes.
The comparatively small number of cases treated is to be accounted for to a large extent by the initial difficulty in obtain- ing the necessary medical supplies. It was found that no nearer source of supply existed than New York; but the difficulty has now been satisfactorily overcome, and is not likely to recur.
Social: A tea dance in aid of the funds of the League was held in the Hong Kong Hotel on the afternoon of 13th February, and was eminently successful, the net proceeds being $462.80. 196 persons attended.
Financial: The financial situation at the end of the first year of work must be regarded as satisfactory, the balance in hand being $2,466.08. This has been judged by the Executive Committee sufficient to warrant procuring of independent premises for the clinic, the furnishing of which will absorb much of the existing balance; the step is, nevertheless, for many reasons urgently necessary.
Some uncertainty existed at the outset whether a large part of the League's income would not be of necessity consumed in propaganda either to the general public, or to the class whom the League aims to benefit. It was found, however, that the demand was such as to make propaganda in the latter quarter unnecessary, and it is satisfactory to record, as the balance sheet shows, that propaganda has absorbed none of the funds of the League.
Thanks are due to members and patrons for their timely assistance, without which the League could never have become an actuality; the complete list of donations received appears hereunder, following the balance sheet.
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