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Sir Air Blackburn, who was a patient in the Queen Mary Hospital at the outbrea of war was transferred to the War Memorial Hospital and was there operated on at a later date for acute mastoid disease. He was then transferred to the Internment Camp at Stanley during the latter part of January.
Mr. Martin (Consul General of Chungking), was also sent to Stanley with his wife. His health is also in a somewhat precarious state.
THE HONGKONG MEDICAL DEPARTMENT? under the leadership of Dr. P.S. Selwyn-Clarke, displayed a considerable amount of activity. On the morning following the capitulation Dr. Selwyn-Clarke was down in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building interviewing the responsible Japanese Military officials in an attempt to obtain a resumption of the water supply and the provisional of minimal sanitary facilities. By dink of persistent personal effort Dr. Selwyn-Clarke was able to do a great deal to expedite the resumption of the water supply and the distribution of essential supplies of food, fuel, drugs and other essentials to casualty and relief hospitals, internment camps and other places. Dr. Selwyn-Clarke was allowed to maintain an office, which was later transferred from the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Building to the top floor of the National City Bank Building, and formed a sub-division of the office of the new Japanese Medical Headquarters, which were set up under the direction of Col. Eguchi and Kr. Saito. In the new organisation Dr. Tsai Ai Lee, a former member of the University Medical School and of the Censorship Staff, has been appointed to a high position (as head of the Public Health Division) and is giving whole-hearted so- operation. A new Chinese Medical Association has been formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Wong Tung Ming, a Japanese-trained practitioner who was under trial for the murder of his concubine at the outbreak of war. It was stated that only 300 practitioners of medicine would be registered, preferenc being first given to Japanese-trained doctors, and that the remaining vacancies would be filled after the inspection of diplomas by a small committee of medical men appointed by the Association.
THE HOSPITALS continued functioning without serious interruption at first, but were later subjected to radical changes. Queen Mary Hospital. This continued to operate as the chief casualty hospital for the island until the last week in January. Previous to this it had been subject to repeated inspections by the Japanese Army and Navy Medical Authorities, but the work of the hospital had not been seriously Impeded. Towards the end of January, however, an order came for the complete and immediate evacuation of the hospital. Svacuation began at 9 a.p. and wɛɛ completed by about 5 p.m. on the same afternoon. Naval and Military patients were sent to the Bowen Road Military Hospital, Chinese civilian patients ware sent to one or other of the Relief Hospitals, and Suropean civilians wer sont to an emergency hospital established in the Stanley Internment CEIT Suropean doctors (including Prof. Digby, Dr. Farr ad Dr. Pringle) the Matron (Kiss Davies), Sisters and the Lay Superintendent (Rev. Frank Short) were ell sent to Stanley. Chinese doctors and nurses were all transferred tc other hospitals. The clerical staff, technical assistants, dressers and meni staff were all dispersed, and by the evening the Japanese took possession of tke ple uilding with all its annexes. During the evacuation a large quantity of valuable drugs, instruments and equipment was lost.
Ver Lenoral Hospital. This also continued to function until nearly the end of Jantery under Drs. Kirk, Talbot and Tomlinson, with Rev. Sandbach as Lay Superintendent, when an order was given for the Hospital to be completely closed, all civilian staff and patients being transferred to Stanley. Asbilda Hospital. An order was received on the afternoon of 27th Jan. for DP Lontgomery (the Medical Superintendent) with his wife, staff and patients to be at Blake Pier at 9.30 the next morning, with all the luggage they cONTA carry for transport to Stanley. The Hospital, which had received 70 dire htte from shell-fire during the war, and which was occupied by a large I number of mothers with young children as well as numerous old and infir patients, was left in a completely unoccupied condition, a ready prot looters great deal of deliberate and want on cruelty was caused order. hospital was filled with the finest obtain complet dsregard was shown by the Japanese
Cuipment