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to them. Fortunately, the number of patients in the Lock at that time was small, and this was done without inconvenience; arrangements being made so that the inmates of the Lock were completely cut off from the part of the Hospital made over to the patients brought from the Civil Hospital, and before night all was comfortably settled, though the accommodation was barely sufficient, owing to the number of cases of injury, &c. that were brought in during the day. This arrangement continued till the middle of November.
Meanwhile, a block of buildings near the Central Police Station, formerly a Hotel, had been hired by Government and was being fitted up and repaired, and, as far as possible, arranged for a temporary Civil Hospital until the new one is built. Under Dr. CLAPHAM's superintendence, on the 13th of November the patients, stores, &c. were removed from the Lock and old Civil Hospital to the new buildings, and, with much trouble, everything was, in a few days, got into working order.
I have much pleasure in testifying to the admirable way in which Dr. CLAPHAM performed all his duties while Acting Superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital, and the courage and ability he showed in their discharge during and after the terrible night of the Typhoon. His kindness and courtesy made him generally esteemed by all with whom he came in contact, and a more satisfactory substitute for the Superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital could not have been found.
Omit.
The buildings now used as the Government Civil Hospital, though the best that could be obtained, are by no means satisfactory; being situated in the centre of the town and surrounded by buildings, they will be very hot in the summer, and will hardly get a breath of air. There is no ground attached to them, [only one water-closet in the whole block,] and in many other ways they are unsuitable; besides, Government has to pay a very high rent for them, and it is therefore to be hoped that the building of the new Hospital will be proceeded with as speedily as possible.
TUNG WAH HOSPITAL.
There is little more to say concerning this Institution than has been said in previous Reports. As Professor WYVILLE THOMPSON, of the Challenger Expedition, observed, when visiting this establishment with me: "As a Hospital it is beyond criticism." Formerly, I am told, there used to be what were called "dying houses," the Chinese having the greatest possible objection to anyone dying in a dwelling house; to these places people were brought in the last stage of disease, to die. The attendant in charge of the house was only obliged to supply the dying people with water, and if they took hours or days to die, that was all they got. The Tung Wah Hospital has taken the place of these "dying houses," but the Chinese have a great objection to going to Hospital, except in the last stage of disease.
This year 1,008 patients were admitted, as compared with 959 in 1873, and 505 died, as compared with 388 in 1873. So that it appears the mortality, which was about 40 per cent. in 1873, has increased to over 50 per cent. this year. This, I think, shows that the Chinese do not go into this Hospital with any confidence; the treatment amounts to nothing, except in surgical cases, and then what is done is more harm than good. Twenty-one Small-pox patients were admitted, and fifteen died. A great number of out-patients come for advice. There were 39,359 attended this year, but a Chinaman is very ready to take advice, for it is not uncommon to see a Chinese patient taking the remedies of half a dozen native Doctors, besides those of several old women, at the same time.
On my inspections round the town, I saw an old woman very busy making pills. I asked her what drugs she was using. She said she did not know, but the pills cured everything. I asked what their action was, but she could not say; she could not tell whether they purged, as she had never tried them herself, but they were good for every complaint, and she sold plenty of them. I gave Professor THOMSON a Chinese native Doctor's prescription. It consisted of vegetables entirely, which might be eaten with impunity in any quantity; the patient for whom it was written died, but the Chinese Doctor did not know what was the matter with him.
Omit.
All that can be said for the Tung Wah Hospital is, that it is kept fairly clean; the patients get good food and, according to Chinese ideas, very comfortable accommodation. The one great good that this Hospital does is vaccination, which it has greatly assisted in spreading; 1,246 were vaccinated this year.
VICTORIA GAOL.
Table VII shows the actual number of Hospital cases. Table VIII, the number of prisoners treated in their cells. The Hospital consists of seven small wards, only capable of holding two patients in each ward; so none but the worst cases are taken into Hospital, and even this accommodation is only for men; all women becoming seriously sick have to be sent to the Civil Hospital. There has been only one death in the Gaol this year, and most of the cases have originated outside. Diarrhea, Dysentery, Fever, Bronchial Affections, and old Ulcers have been the principal complaints treated.
I find the average number of prisoners who desire to see me daily is about fifty, but these are not all cases of disease, but applications for change of diet, alterations in their work, &c., and these are about the admissions daily to be inspected. I have been compelled to give extra diet to the European prisoners in a great many cases, and I would suggest an alteration in their diet,—that, instead of a pint of tea for breakfast, they should have a pint of gruel; for I find that the tea in the morning causes a great deal of indigestion, and as the hardest labour of the day is done between breakfast and dinner, tea, I think, is a mistake. Short sentence prisoners, such as drunken sailors sent in for 14 days, have the whole time on bread and water, which, I think, is too severe; seven days bread and water should, I think, be the longest time in this climate. It renders a man totally unfit for work when he goes out, and a glass of beer given by a friend would be quite enough to send him to Gaol again for being drunk and disorderly.
Omit.
Omit.
Table IX shows the number of prisoners, as compared with the sickness and mortality in the Gaol. During this year several lunatics have been sent to Gaol, simply because they were lunatics, and there is no other place of safety in which to put them. The noise they make in the Gaol Hospital not only keeps the whole Gaol awake, but also the whole neighbourhood around. One case this year caused violent public indignation, and the patient, who is a woman, has been removed to a room in the half-ruined Old Civil Hospital. I would suggest that the upper story of this building be cleared away and the lower one repaired and roofed and kept for cases of this description, which not unfrequently occur. They should not be put in either the Hospital or the Gaol, for patients ought not to be disturbed by the frightful cries of a lunatic day and night, and I am sure the prisoners get sufficiently punished with hard fare and hard work without being deprived of their sleep at night.
LOCK HOSPITAL.
Vide C.S.O. No. 14th April, 1876.
The improvement of having stoves in the wards of this building, as I suggested in my Report, I am glad to say has been carried out, and that leaves nothing to be desired. Hardly any damage was done to the building by the Typhoon; only a jillmill here and there was broken and a few panes of glass.
Table X shows the number of admissions, which have been much less than usual, compared with the last few years. Table B shows the number of women brought under the provisions of the Contagious Diseases Ordinance, and this number is also less than that of 1873.
Table C shows the number of men diseased during the year, which is 207, as compared with 421 in 1873, or rather less than half the number.
Table E shows the character of the diseases. It will be observed that only 3 cases of Primary Syphilis occurred among the Military, and only 4 cases among the Police. Of the Navy, out of 85 cases of venereal disease, of all classes, 50 were not contracted in Hongkong, and very few of the cases recorded as Primary Syphilis were contracted here. But the Military and Police show the working of the Ordinance best, as they are residents and know the licensed brothels better, not being so apt to be led away by sly prostitutes. With a considerable number more men in Port and Garrison, the amount of disease is shown to be less than half of what it was in 1873.
77
3:
to them. Fortunately, the number of patients in the Lock at that time was small, and this was one without inconvenience; arrangements being made, so that the inmates of the Lock were completely cut off from the part of the Hospital made over to the patients brought from the Civil Hospital, and before night all was comfortably settled, though the accommodation was barely sufficient, owing to the number of cases of injury, &c. that were brought in during the day. This arrangement continued till the middle of November. Meanwhile, a block of buildings near the Central Police Station, formerly a Hotel, had been hired by Government, and was being fitted up and repaired, and, as far as possible, arranged for a temporary Civil Hospital until the new one is built. Under Dr. CLAPHAN's superin tendence, on the 13th of November the patients, stores, &c. were removed from the Lock and old Civil Hospital to the new buildings, and, with much trouble, everything was, in a few days, got into working
order.
I have much pleasure in testifying to the admirable way in which Dr. CLAPHAM per- formed all his duties while Acting Superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital, and the courage and ability he showed in their discharge during and after the terrible night of the Typhoon. His kindness and courtesy made him generally esteemed by all with whom he came in contact, and a more satisfactory substitute for the Superintendent of the Govern- ment Civil Hospital could not have been found.
Omit.
The buildings now used as the Government Civil Hospital, though the best that could be obtained, are by no means satisfactory; being situated in the centre of the town and surrounded by buildings. they will be very hot in the summer, and will hardly get a breath of air. There is no ground attached to them, [only one water-closet in the whole block,] and in many other ways they are unsuitable; besides, Government has to pay a very high rent for them, and it is therefore to be hoped that the building of the new Hospital will be proceeded with as speedily as possible.
TUNG WAN HOSPITAL.
Ginit
There is little more to say concerning this Institution than has been said in previous Reports. As Professor WYVILLE THOMPSON, of the Challenger Expedition, observed, when visiting this establishment with me: "As a Hospital it is beyond criticism." Formerly, 1 am told, there used to be what were called "dying houses," the Chinese having the greatest possible objection to any one dying in a dwelling house; to these places people were brought in the last stage of disease, to die. The attendant in charge of the house was only >Onit. obliged to supply the dying people with water, and if they took hours or days to die, that was all they got. The Tung Wah Hospital has taken the place of these "dying houses,” but the Chinese have a great objection to going to Hospital, except in the last stage of disease.
This year 1,008 patients were admitted, as compared with 959 in 1873, and 505 died, as compared with 388 in 1873. So that it appears the mortality, which was about 40 per cent. in 1873, has increased to over 50 per cent. this year. This, I think, shows that the Chinese do not go into this Hospital with any confidence; the treatment amounts to nothing, except in surgical cases, and then what is done is more harm than good. Twenty one Small-pox patients were admitted, and fifteen died. A great number of out-patients come for advies There were 39,359 attended this year, but a Chinaman is very ready to take advice, for it is not uncommon to see a Chinese patient taking the remedies of half a dozen native Doctors, besides those of several old women, at the same time. On my inspec- tions round the town, I saw an old woman very busy making pills. I asked her what drugs she was using. She said she did not know, but the pills cured everything. I asked what their action was, but she could not say; she could not tell whether they purged, as she had never tried them herself, but they were good for every complaint, and she sold plenty of them. I gave Professor THOMSON a Chinese native Doctor's prescription. It con- sisted of vegetables entirely, which might be eaten with impunity in any quantity; the patient for whom it was written died, but the Chinese Doctor did not know what was the matter with him.
Omit.
that can be said for the Tung Wah Hospital is, that it is kept fairly clean; the patients get good food, uid, according to Chinese ideas, very comfortable accommodation. The one great good that this Hospital does is vaccination, which it has greatly assisted in spreading; 1,246 were vaccinated this year.
VICTORIA GAOL.
Table VII. shows the actual number of Hospital cases. Table VIII., the number of prisoners treated in their cells. The Hospital consists of seven small wards, only capable of holding two patients in each ward; so none but the worst cases are taken into Hospital, and even this accommodation is only for men; all women becoming seriously sick have to be sent to the Civil Hospital. There has been only one death in the Gaol this year, and most of the cases have originated outside. Diarrhea, Dysen- ry, Fever, Bronchial Affections and old Ulcers have been the principal complaints treated. I find the average number of prisoners who desire to see me daily is about fifty, but these are not all cases of disease, but applications for change of diet, alterations in their work, &c., and these are about the admissions daily to be inspected. I have been compelled to give extra diet to the European prisoners in a great many cases, and I would suggest an alteration in their diet,-that, instead of a pint of tea for breakfast, they should have a pint of gruel; for I find that the tea in the morning causes a great deal of indigestion, and as the hardest labour of the day is done between breakfast and dinner, tea, I think, is a mistake. Short sentence prisoners, such as drunken sailors sent in for 14 days, have the whole time on bread and water, which, I think, is too severe; seven days bread and water should, I think, be the longest time in this climate. It renders a man totally unfit for work when he goes out, and a glass of beer given by a friend would be quite enough to send him to Gaol again for being drunk and disorderly.
Umit.
Omit.
Table IX. shows the number of prisoners, as compared with the sickness and mortality in the Gaol. During this year several lunatics have been sent to Gaol, simply because they were Fanatics, and there is no other place of safety in which to put them. The noise they make in the Gaol Hospital not only keeps the whole Gaol awake, but also the whole neighbourhood around. One case this year caused violent public indignation, and the patient, who is a woman, has been removed to a room in the half ruined Old Civil Hospital. I would suggest that the upper story of this building be cleared away and the lower one repaired and roofed and kept for cases of this description, which not unfrequently occur. They should not be put in either the Hospital or the Gaol, for patients ought not to be disturbed by the frightful cries of a lunatic day and night, and I am sure the prisoners get sufficiently punished with hard fare and hard work without being deprived of their sleep at night.
last
year,
LOCK HOSPITAL.
Vide 0.5.0. No. 14th April, 1876.
The improvement of having stoves in the wards of this building, as I suggested in my Report
am glad to say has been carried out, and that leaves nothing to be desired. Hardly any damage was done to the building by the Typhoon; only a jillmill here and there was broken and a few panes of glass.
Table X.4. shows the number of admissions, which have been much less than usual, compared with the last few years. Table B. shows the number of women brought under the provisions of the Contagious Diseases Ordinance, and this number is also less than that of 1873.
Table C. shows the number of men diseased during the year, which is 207, as compared with 421 in 1873, or rather less than half the number.
Table E. shows the character of the diseases. It will be observed that only 3 cases of Primary Syphilis occurred among the Military, and only 4 cases among the Police. Of the Navy, out of 85 cases of venereal disease, of all classes, 50 were not contracted in Hongkong, and very few of the cases recorded as Primary Syphilis were contracted here. But the Military and Police show the working of the Ordinance best, as they are residents and know the licensed brothels better, not being so apt to be led away by sly prostitutes. With a considerable number more men in Port and Garrison, the
amount of disease is shown to be less than half of what it was in 1873.
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