AnnualReport-1922

M (1) 28

VIL-THE TUNG WAH HOSPITAL, VICTORIA.

The maintenance of the buildings has been well looked after, and the medical staff was the same as in the previous year. The Chinese medical officers were G. H. Thomas, M.D., B.S., Fok Wing Tai, M.B., B.S., and Chiu Chu San, M.B., B.S., graduates of the University of Hongkong. The visiting medical officer was C. W. McKenny, M.D., of the medical department of the Government. These officers performed their duties in a careful and satisfactory manner.

A concise statement of the various branches under the following headings.

1922 1921 Patients remaining in hospital from previous year... 257 330 Admitted.... 8,079 6,881 Total number of in-patients treated 8,386 7,211 Remaining in hospital at end of year 336 257 Deaths 2,267 1,813 Males 3,714 3,329 Females 4,622 3,882 Under native treatment 5,531 4,539 Under western treatment 2,548 2,289 Bodies brought to hospital mortuary 1,850 1,863 "" sent to Public Mortuary. 838 594 Free burials.... 27 Destitutes sheltered... 5,518 4,895 Out-patients visits (native treatment) 136,280 98,763 (western "" 29,722 24,238 (eye clinic 2,949 2,972 Vaccinations performed 2,395 2,865 Confinements 1,017 Operations, general.. 268 292 eye 132 93

The diseases which were most common among the patients treated in the hospital were beri-beri, pulmonary tuberculosis, influenza, plague and syphilis. As regards the first of these, beri-beri, there was an increase of something like eighty cases of this disease over those of the year before; it is one of the most important causes of sickness both on account of the number affected and the length of time for which the patients are unable to work. The death rate is also high, for of the 846 patients who were admitted on account of beri-beri during the year, 374 died, that is, 44 per cent of the cases were fatal. Cases of plague were not numerous last year, but this year 464 patients were treated and 410 of these died, which amounts to a death rate of 88 per cent. Tuberculosis of the lungs was recorded in 656 cases, of which 333 proved fatal, being a death rate of 50 per cent. Influenza seems to frequent this region of the world persistently and to be independent of the seasons and the weather. 505 cases are reported for the year. Of the venereal diseases, there were 351 cases.

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