9
THE DUMPING OF THE DEAD.
To avoid paying burial fees, and, in the case of infectious diseases, to evade the cleansing of their houses by the Health Authorities, the poorer members of the Chinese community continued to dump dead bodies in the streets. In 1937 the Police found 1353 of these bodies.
HOSPITALS.
The Queen Mary Hospital which was built to replace the old Government Civil Hospital was formally opened on the 13th April. This hospital has accommodation for 546 beds and cots, 138 of which have been allotted to the three clinical units of the Hong Kong University.
The total number of in-patients admitted was 5,566 which includes 191 maternity cases. The daily average of general in-patients was 289. 4,631 general in-patients were treated by Government officers, and 229, 275 and 240 by the Medical, Surgical and Gynaecological Units of the University Staff respectively. Sixty-three per centum of the in-patients admitted were of Chinese nationality. The Casualty Department treated 1,933 out-patients (new cases). Some 295 deaths took place amongst in-patients.
The Government Civil Hospital was closed on the 30th of June after all patients had been transferred to the Queen Mary Hospital. General in-patients numbered 2,693, whilst 469 maternity patients were also treated, giving a daily average of 197. Deaths in in-patients amounted to 172.
When this hospital was closed a portion of it, "C" Block, was renovated to accommodate the out-patients department. 21,246 new cases were treated in the Government Civil Hospital and in “C” Block during the year. The building at the Queen's Road entrance to the hospital functioned throughout the year and was used exclusively for special out-patient clinics as follows:-
New cases. Medical University Unit 1,624 Surgical University Unit. 4,459 Gynaecological University Unit 1,890 Eye Clinic (Government) 3,126 Venereal Diseases (Government) 1,811 Total 12,910