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Annexe I.
NEW TERRITORIES.
REPORT BY DR. J. W. HARTLEY, Medical Officer.
Dr. Li Ho Ching was in charge of the Dispensary and Cottage Hospital at Taipo and the Leper Asylum at Au Tau until October 31st when he resigned.
Since that date there has been no Chinese medical officer at Taipo, but a trained "dresser" has been constantly on duty at the Dispensary to attend to the numerous minor cases which have occurred and to report more serious ones.
Routine fortnightly visits have been paid to the following stations during the year by the Chinese medical officer :-
Taipo, Sheung Shui, Sha Tau Kok, Au Tau, San Tin, Ping Shan.
The Assistant Railway Medical Officer has regularly visited Sha Tin station as he was in residence at Sha Tin railway camp close at hand.
An outbreak of Small-pox occurred in the Castle Peak district in March and occasioned a few deaths but never became very serious.
In May Plague broke out in the Chinese town of Sam Chün with disastrous results to the populace. It was feared that villages in the British territory would become infected as a result but the only place attacked apparently was the small village of Loi Tung near Sha Tau Kok where eleven deaths occurred in 21 days. By the end of the month the disease had totally disappeared. The Head-men of the neighbouring villages were instructed in the methods to adopt to prevent the spread of such an epidemic, and made use of the best means at their disposal.
These were the only epidemics in the territory during the year.
Vaccinations.-112 vaccinations were performed, out of which 108 were successful, 2 were unsuccessful, and 2 were not seen again.
Leper Asylum.-13 lepers have been inmates of the asylum during the year.