Complaints concerning this part of the subject have but very small foundation, and the opinions he has given are not in accordance with facts. I see no reason to alter the opinions I have given and the statements I made on the subjects of the temporary arrangements, the proposed new buildings or the Hospital Staff in previous reports and letters, mentioning especially my Annual Report for 1879, my letter C.S.O. No. 322 dated January 30th 1879, letter dated September 4th with enclosures, letters dated September 20th 1880, and October 2nd 1880.
Two Commissions of Enquiry on the Hospital Staff and the proposed New Buildings were appointed this year and reported on these matters. The first, composed by Surgeon General MACKINNON, A.M.D. and Dr. O'BRIEN, I was informed, agreed with my views. The second was composed by Deputy Surgeon General THOMSON, A.M.D. and Deputy Inspector General BREEN, R.N. Of their report I have heard nothing although they in a manner sat in judgment on the opinions I had expressed and recommendations I had forwarded to Government. But I am permitted to draw my own conclusions, as since that by the sanction of Government and the Military Authorities a Military Surgeon has been permitted to take charge of the duties of the Superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital pending his absence on leave for a twelve-month, and it is not thought too much by either of these Authorities or the gentleman himself for him to perform his military duties as Surgeon as well as those of the Superintendent at the Hospital. Nor apparently did the Superintendent who complains so much of the excess and arduous nature of his work think it too much to ask of another man to do his duty for a twelve-month for considerably less than half pay. How this can be reconciled with the statements in his letters and the report which I enclose that he is overworked and has not time for doing things he thinks should be done, I am at a loss to understand.
The admissions to the Government Civil Hospital during the year 1880 were 1,055. Of these there were Police 588, Police cases 144, Destitutes 97, Government Employés, chiefly Gaol Officials 48. The remaining 168 were seamen sent by the Harbour Master and paying patients. The numbers admitted during the past eight years are as follows:-
Year. Admissions.
1873, 952
1874, 829
1875, 1,010
1876, 1,001
1877, 950
1878, 1,289
1879, 1,071
1880, 1,055
It will thus be seen that if it had not been for the great increase in the number of admissions from the Police Force during the past three years, so far from an increase in the demand for accommodation, there would have been a steady decrease. The increase from the Force arises, as I believe, from preventable causes, so also do a number of the admissions of the Gaol Officials and destitutes. The latter are for the most part European sailors, deserters, or discharged from their ships, worthless drunken lot who pass their time drunk in a gutter, in Gaol and in Hospital alternately. It would be cheaper for Government to ship them off to other ports where they might find some employment which they cannot find here even if they wished. I presume the Government would prefer to have increased accommodation in their quarters for the Police in preference to increased accommodation in the Hospital. The admissions from venereal disease on which so much stress was laid as demanding increased accommodation, shew a decrease this year by the Superintendent's own showing in his report, but not by the Tables, as it appears only Europeans were put down in Table C in previous years, the Chinese being left out.
Table V shews the number of admissions, deaths and their causes. At least two thirds of the cases are such as would only be treated as out-patients in any General Hospital at Home, and certainly could cause very little trouble and not the least anxiety.
Table VII shews the number of admissions for each month of the year as usual the numbers are most numerous in the hot months from June to October.
The number of deaths in Hospital this year was 44 which in comparison with previous years is low as the following figures indicate.
Year. Deaths.
1873, 55
1874, 95
1875, 59
1876, 36
1877, 49
1878, 50
1879, 55
1880, 44