Government CIVIL HOSPITAL,
HONGKONG, 15th March, 1876.
SIR, I have the honour to forward my Annual Report for the year 1875 concerning the health of the Colony and the working of the different establishments under my supervision.
In the past year, a number of improvements have been made in the sanitary arrangements of the town, but I have little to add to the information I gave the Government in my last year's Report, and regret to say that things remain in much the same condition as I then described.
I have to thank the Officers of the different departments for the information requisite for making up the enclosed Returns.
POLICE.
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The health of the Force has not been so good as last year, there having been early a hundred more admissions to Hospital than in 1874. The principal causes of sickness were Intermittent Fever and Diarrhea, and most of the cases came from the outstations, principally Aberdeen. Reports have been made concerning the sanitary condition of this station by Dr. WHARRY and the Registrar General. The mortality also has been greater, but this admits of some explanation; there were nine deaths in Hospital, of these two occurred on the 1st and 2nd of January, and had been some time in Hospital in 1874. Of the other five deaths, four took place during absence on leave and one was a case of sudden death on parade from disease of the heart, so that the increase of deaths cannot be attributed to the
healthiness of the Colony.
The amount of sickness entails loss of service and extra expense to Government, and might be reduced by better sanitary arrangements in some of the outstations, especially Aberdeen. In some of the cases admitted last year, there is no doubt the men have become more or less permanently debi- litated, and the mortality of one year must be reckoned as partly owing to disease contracted in pre- vious years. The Indians, as usual, suffer most, and next to them the Europeans in proportion to their numbers, the mortality being greatest among the Indians.
A reference to Tables I. and II. will show the rate of mortality and sickness among the Europeans, Indians and Chinese composing the Force in each month of the year.
Table E. shows the number of the Police admitted into Hospital for venereal disease, which is 18, as compared with 21 in 1874, and 59 in 1873. Of these 18, eight were cases of Syphilis chiefly of a mild type.
TROOPS.
Table III. gives the strength, sickness and mortality of the Troops stationed in Hongkong in 1875. The admissions to Ilospital in 1875 was 716, as compared with 1,067 in 1874, and 1,446 in 1873. That is to say, that the number admitted to Hospital was less in 1875 by 351 than in 1874, and less 730 than in 1873, which year was a considerable improvement on former years. Probably this great decrease in sickness is due to the great improvements in the drainage of the barracks that have been made in the last year or so, and to better sanitary arrangements.
The mortality is 9, as compared with 10 in 1874, and 12 in 1873, so that the great and steady increase in the general health of the Troops must be considered very satisfactory indeed.
There has been a slight increase of venereal disease among the Troops, the number admitted to Hospital being 71 as compared with 65 in 1874, but in 1873 the number was 223, and greater in pre- vious years, so that even in this respect the health of the Troops may be said to be very good.
GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL.
The building at present used as a Hospital has done fairly well as a makeshift up to this time but it is very defective in its accommodation and sanitary arrangements.
The latrine arrangements are as bad as they can be for a Hospital, and admit of no improvements in the present building. There are no yards or open ground attached to the building, which is in the heart of the town, and as a consequence, the ventilation is very defective, especially in the lower stories. Windows that would otherwise be kept open in hot weather have to be kept closed, and the light obs- tructed by their being painted to prevent annoyance to the neighbours, and these, as all must acknow- ledge, are serious evils to the well being of a Hospital.
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As it is, the working of the establishment has been as good as it can be under the careful superin- tendence of Dr. WHARRY, who has had much extra trouble during the past year.
The number of admissions to the Hospital has greatly increased, being 1,010, as compared with 829 in 1874; of these, cases ten were moribund when brought in. Exclusive of Police, the number of admissions was 564, as compared with 431 in 1874; this number represents seamen, destitutes and paying patients.
Table IV, shows the varieties of disease. The mortality was chiefly owing to diseases of the lungs, fever and accidents. There were no deaths from Typhoid fever, and only four cases admitted, three of which came from up the coast; none were brought in from the brothels. Only five cases of small-pox admitted, these were scamnen, European and coloured.
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