The total number of days spent in Hospital by Police constables was 8,086, representing 22 men off duty for the whole year in 1879 the number of days was 5,436. There was a real increase in 1880, but not as much as the figures would seem to imply. In 1879 want of space in the Hospital necessitated the discharge of Police patients immediately they were convalescent, and men who had been in Hospital for a week were thus sometimes sent back to their stations to spend three or four weeks more off duty in completing their recovery.
This had been the practice for years past, and there were many objections to it. It was very undesirable to have idlers loafing about the stations for weeks together, and as in many instances the stations themselves were the main factors in producing the sickness, the men returning thither were not likely to be speedily restored to health and efficiency. Moreover, the constant presence of invalids would not have an inspiriting effect upon those performing their daily round of duty.
Since the Hospital space was increased in July, it has been possible to amend this practice to a certain extent, and to retain convalescents in Hospital until they are fit for duty. The accommodation however is not yet sufficient for this to be done regularly, and from time to time the Hospital has to be relieved at the expense of the Police stations. I may here call attention to the fact that since the fire of 1878, part of the ward space of the Hospital has been taken up for temporary quarters for the Superintendent, and when the projected house is built for the Superintendent, these wards will be again available for patients.
A good deal of the sickness among the Police must be attributed to the faulty construction of the stations, and to overcrowding. Among the Indians it is worthy of note, that some of the recruits sent from India from time to time are about forty years of age, although they state themselves to be not more than 27. If care were taken to provide younger recruits, I believe fewer of them would come to Hospital.
On the 12th August, the Aberdeen Police station was abandoned; only one Indian constable being left there. The Europeans were lodged in the Harbour station, and the Chinese sent to Ap-li-chau. The Europeans did not apparently benefit much by the change, but the Chinese sick list for the year comprised only 21 cases instead of 61 as in the previous twelve months.
The Police suffered principally from malarious fevers, bowel complaints and chest affections. Three seamen were admitted from foreign ships of war, American, Brazilian and Italian respectively. The last mentioned suffered from stone in the bladder: and was admitted to Hospital in a very exhausted condition. It was a most unpromising case, but to give him a chance of life, lateral lithotomy was performed. The operation was somewhat prolonged as the calculus (phosphatic) broke down under the forceps and had to be extracted piece-meal, and the patient did not rally but died the following evening.
Table V shows the varieties of disease among patients generally with the mortality from each. Fevers were not quite so prevalent as in 1879, but bowel complaints remained about the same. Bronchial and pulmonary affections were not more frequent.
Venereal cases generally were about as numerous as last year, but the proportion of primary syphilis was smaller.
Fractures and dislocations were somewhat more numerous.
Six cases of opium poisoning were brought to the Hospital alive, three of which were restored. Two fatal cases of tetanus occurred, both Chinese: in one case there was compound fracture of the metacarpal bones of the right hand, all the fingers having been torn off by machinery, and in the other, the fingers of one hand had been crushed.
Two cases of parturition are recorded. They were Chinese women who were admitted on the application of the Police: one was an arm presentation requiring operative interference: the other a protracted labour delivered by forceps.
The evil consequences of exposing parturient women to septic infection are so well known that such cases are never admitted to the wards of general hospitals in England, but in the Hongkong Civil Hospital there is only one woman's ward for all cases, and women applying for assistance in labour must either be sent away unaided to die or take their chance of septicaemia in the Hospital. There is considerable risk from the position of the ward or rather from the close proximity to it of the public dead-house of the Colony, which is only a few yards off, and on the windward side in summer. There were, as usual, many cases of great interest under treatment during the year, and if it were possible for them to be accurately recorded, the observations would be of great value.
The makeshift nature of the Establishment, however, precludes the possibility of this, and makes it difficult to do more than attend to the daily needs of the Hospital.
There were 44 deaths during the year.
The number dead bodies sent to the Hospital for examination was 103, of which 32 were Chinese children.
The receipts from the Police amounted to $1,352.91, from the Board of Trade $1,402.50 and from other sources $3,441.93.
PH. B. C. AYRES, Esq., M. R. C. S., &c.,
Colonial Surgeon.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
C. J. WHARRY, M.D.,
Superintendent.
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