M 124
DEATH CERTIFICATION.
46. In a very large number of deaths which take place in Hong Kong the deceased has not been attended by a Western-medicine practitioner.
47. Reference has already been made to the opposition to post-mortem dissections on bodies of persons who have died at the Chinese hospitals or have been brought in dead into this group of hospitals—nearly 10 per centum of all registered deaths. Added to this, the numbers of post-mortems to be carried out in the two main public mortuaries in Victoria and Kowloon are so great, amounting to over sixty a day on occasion and forming over 25 per centum of all registered deaths—that the staff available cannot possibly carry out detailed dissections except in cases of medico-legal importance.
48. It follows, therefore, that it would be unwise to attach too much importance to the actual figures for individual causes of death and that these should be regarded as indicating only approximately the incidence of fatal disease.
49. Further particulars are contained in the following Tables XIII and XIV :-
Table XIII. Authority certifying cause of death Number of cases Percentage of all cases Medical practitioners in attendance Chinese 21,257 55.04 Non-Chinese 175 88.83 Medical Officer of Health 2 0.01 Tung Wah Hospital 1,155 2.99 Tung Wah Eastern Hospital. 670 1.74 Kwong Wah Hospital 1,960 5.07 Coroner from information received from the Medical Officers i/c. Public Mortuaries 10,897 28.22 22 11.17 Asst. Registrars, New Territories 2,680 6.93 Total 38,621 197M 124
DEATH CERTIFICATION.
46. In a very large number of deaths which take place in Hong Kong the deceased has not been attended by a Western-medicine practitioner.
47. Reference has already been made to the opposition to post-mortem dissections on bodies of persons who have died at the Chinese hospitals or have been brought in dead into this group of hospitals-nearly 10 per centum of all registered deaths. Added to this, the numbers of post-mortems to be carried out in the two main public mortuaries in Victoria and Kowloon are so great amounting to over sixty a day on occasion and forming over 25 per centum of all registered deaths- that the staff available cannot possibly carry out detailed dissections except in cases of medico-legal importance.
48. It follows, therefore, that it would be unwise to attach too much importance to the actual figures for individual causes of death and that these should be regarded as indicating only approximately the incidence of fatal disease.
49. Further particulars are contained in the following Tables XIII and XIV :-
Table XIII.
Authority certifying cause of death
Medical practitioners in
attendance
Chinese
Number
of cases
Percentage of all cases
Non-Chinese
Number of cases
Percentage ; of all cases
21,257
55.04
175
88.83
Medical Officer of Health
2
0.01
Tung Wah Hospital
1,155
2.99
Tung Wah Eastern Hospital.
670
1.74
Kwong Wah Hospital
1,960
5.07
Coroner from information
received from the
Medical Officers i/c.
Public Mortuaries
10,897
28.22
22
11.17
Asst. Registrars, New
:
Territories
2,680
6.93
Total
38,621
197
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