21. The total number of days spent in Hospital in 1886 by members of the Force was 7043: in 1885 it was 4574; about half as many more days were spent off duty on sick leave.
22. Table V shows the varieties of disease among the patients generally, with the mortality from each.
23. Nine cases of typhoid fever were treated, of which one died.
24. Fifty cases of Dysentery were received, of which four proved fatal.
25. Four hundred and six cases of what may be called Hongkong fever were treated, with successful result in every case but one, this latter came from Aberdeen.
Given a sub-tropical climate, a teeming population, a deficiency of water, defective drainage and a large town built with but little regard to sanitary principles, and the result is inevitable. Very few of the inhabitants escape deterioration of health, and a large and yearly increasing number suffer from attacks of fever and dysentery.
It is a common belief that this so-called climatic disease is to be attributed to disturbance of the soil, however slight in extent, but where the atmosphere is laden with foul odours from the sewers from the surface pollution and from the reeking foreshores, these latter must be held accountable for a large share of the sickness in Hongkong.
26. Four Cases of Beri-Beri were admitted from a Siamese Brig, the European Mate and three Malay Seamen. They had made a long voyage from Bangkok to Hongkong, had run short of provisions, and had suffered from exposure. The symptoms resembled those of scurvy, with paralysis of the extremities superadded. The treatment was directed to improvement of their general condition, with galvanism of the legs and arms, and they all recovered. A careful record of these cases would have been valuable but it was not possible to keep it.
27. Fewer cases of Enthetic disease were treated in Hospital in 1886, but it does not follow that it was less prevalent in the Colony.
28. Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatism sent 27 patients to Hospital, of which one died.
29. Anaemia was accountable for 35 cases, Phthisis for 21, of which 5 died.
30. There were 8 admissions with ascites, all of hepatic origin, and two died.
31. Four cases of paralysis of the extremities were treated, these are sometimes registered as Beri-Beri; with constitutional treatment and galvanism they usually recover.
32. Injuries to the eye were somewhat more frequent than in 1885.
33. Pulmonary affections were not more numerous.
34. Bowel complaints as usual caused a large number of admissions; with fewer deaths, however, than in 1885.
35. There was a large increase in affections of the liver. Among them were two cases of abscess; The first was a European Police Constable, he was treated with the aspirator, and the abscess afterwards freely laid open. He eventually succumbed, and post mortem several other large abscesses and a number of small ones were discovered,
The second occurred in a Sikh Constable, who made a good recovery after the abscess was opened with a scalpel and a drainage tube inserted.
36. Renal diseases were somewhat more frequent.
37. Three cases of stone in the bladder were admitted, in two, the stone was successfully extracted by lateral lithotomy, and the third was not willing to remain long enough in Hospital for operation.
38. Three women in labour were admitted for instrumental delivery, one of whom, was too far gone for recovery. In 1885 there were seven such cases.
39. Abscesses and surgical affections brought in the average number.
40. Poisonings were more numerous, no fewer than six opium cases coming in, of which however, four arrived too late for successful treatment.
41. Wounds of all kinds and all degrees of severity were very numerous as usual. Gunshot wounds being on the increase. Fractures simple and compound were more frequent than in 1885; no fewer than 49 being admitted, of which seven proved fatal.
42. Operations were more numerous than in 1885.
43. Seventy-nine deaths occurred in Hospital during the year, and the number would have been larger but that some of the hopeless cases among the Chinese were removed by their relatives.
44. The receipts from patients in 1886 were larger than ever before, and amounted to $10,313.23, of which $2,501.50 was derived from the Board of Trade, and $1,036.15 from the Police.
45. In 1885 the receipts were $6,653.74, of which $1,618.50 came from the Board of Trade, and $690.87 from the Police.
46. The visiting Justices have made frequent inspections of the Hospital during the year, and their reports have invariably been favourable. They have on several occasions suggested improvements in the building and fittings, such as the laying on of hot water to the bath rooms, the removal of the high wall which shuts in the south side of the Hospital enclosure &c., some of their suggestions have been acted on, but the two mentioned have not been carried out.
47. The collapse of the Steam Laundry Company left the Hospital dependent on the Chinese washer men and the result is not satisfactory. One of these days, perhaps, the Hospital will have its own laundry.
48. The Hospital still remains without any facility for disinfecting bedding and clothing, although I understand that a steam disinfector has been lying in the Government store for months past.
49. I now conclude a somewhat hasty review of the work of the Civil Hospital in 1886.
50. The number of patients and consequent responsibility and anxiety were larger than ever before, and the revenue from patients considerably exceeded that of any previous year.
51. With the growth of the Colony, the Hospital work has naturally increased, and there is no doubt that one Medical Officer is not now sufficient for the requirements of the Establishment.
52. That I have been able to carry on the work so long is due to the obliging disposition of Dr. MARQUES, and his ever ready assistance.
I trust that the frequent gratuitous services of Dr. MARQUES, in the Civil Hospital will one day be recognized by the Government, and a satisfactory position in the Department accorded to him.
53. I must add a word of thanks to the Naval and Military Surgeons who are, and have been on the station, for valuable assistance, especially at operations.
I have the honour to be,
Dr. PH. B. C. AYRES,
Colonial Surgeon.
Enclosure 2.
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
Report on the Lock Hospital.
C. J. WHARRY, M.D., Superintendent.
GOVERNMENT LOCK HOSPITAL,
HONGKONG, February 8th, 1887.
SIR,-I have the honour to forward the Annual Report together with Tables of the work done in this Hospital and at Wántsai during the past year.
2. The total number of examinations made at Wántsai was 361, and at this hospital 12,464.
3. The admissions including those from unregistered brothels, who on examination were found to be diseased, amounted to 401 women, being 10 less than in 1885.
4. The number of registered women admitted for the last three years is as follows:
Year Number of examinations Gonorrhoea Leucorrhea Soft Sore SYPHILIS Primary Secondary Labial Abscess Abrasion & Ulceration of Os Uteri Warts Number of women admitted No. of registered women Free from disease 1884 12,522 100 72 65 41 286 12,236 93 1885 12,454 67 168 38 40 367 12,087 1886 12,407 111 155 51 3 33 378 12,029REMARKS,
* These were all extirpated, and the women were not admitted.
5. It will be seen that more Registered women were again admitted last year than in the two previous years.
6. There was a marked decrease in cases of abrasion and ulceration of the os uteri; of Primary and Secondary syphilis there were three cases,
7. In consequence perhaps of the large number of men-of-war assembled in the harbour during the past year, the complaints against the registered women have been greater, but this does not necessarily imply that there has been a noticeable increase of serious disease amongst these women, as many of them are wrongly charged.
8. It is strange that complaints from a certain class of men should generally be made against some houses whose inmates are particularly clean.
21. The total number of days spent in Hospital in 1886 by members of the Force was 7043: in 1885 it was 4574; about half as many more days were spent off duty on sick leave.
22. Table V shows the varieties of disease among the patients generally, with the mortality from each.
23. Nine cases of typhoid fever were treated, of which one died.
24. Fifty cases of Dysentery were received, of which four proved fatal.
25. Four hundred and six cases of what may be called Hongkong fever were treated, with successful result in every case but one, this latter cane from Aberdeen.
a
Given a sub-tropical climate, a teeming population, a deficiency of water, defective drainage and a large town built with but little regard to sanitary principles, and the result is inevitable. Very few of the inhabitants escape deterioration of health, and a large and yearly increasing number suffer from attacks of fever and dysentery.
It is a common belief that this so-called climatic disease is to be attributed to disturbance of the soil, however slight in extent, but where the atmosphere is laden with foul odours from the sewers from the surface pollution and from the reeking foreshores, these latter must be held accountable for a large share of the sickness in Hongkong.
26. Four Cases of Beri-Beri were admitted from a Siamese Brig, the European Mate and three Malay Seamen. They had made a long voyage from Bankok to Hongkong, had run short of provisions, and had suffered from exposure. The symptoms resembled those of scurvy, with paralysis of the extremities superadded. The treatment was directed to improvement of their general condition, with galvanism of the legs and arms, and they all recovered. A careful record of these cases would have been valuable but it was not possible to keep it.
27. Fewer cases of Enthetic disease were treated in Hospital in 1886, but it does not follow that
it was less prevalent in the Colony.
28. Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatism sent 27 patients to Hospital, of which one died.
29. Anaemia was accountable for 35 cases, Phthisis for 21, of which 5 died.
30. There were 8 admissions with ascites, all of hepatic origin, and two died.
31. Four cases of paralysis of the extremities were treated, these are sometimes registered
as Beri-Beri; with constitutional treatment and galvanism they usually recover.
32. Injuries to the eye were somewhat more frequent than in 1885.
33. Pulmonary affections were not more numerous.
34. Bowel complaints as usual caused a large number of admissions; with fewer deaths, however, than in 1885.
35. There was a large increase in affections of the liver. Among them were two cases of abscess; The first was a European Police Constable, he was treated with the aspirator, and the abscess afterwards freely laid open. He eventually succumbed, and post mortem several other large abscesses
and a number of small ones were discovered,
The second occurred in a Sikh Constable, who made a good recovery after the abscess was opened with a scalpel and a drainage tube inserted.
36. Renal diseases were somewhat more frequent.
37. Three cases of stone in the bladder were admitted, in two, the stone was successfully extracted by lateral lithotomy, and the third was not willing to remain long enough in Hospital for operation. 38. Three women in labour were admitted for instrumental delivery, one of whom, was too far gone for recovery. In 1885 there were seven such cases.
39. Abscesses and surgical affections brought in the average number.
10. Poisonings were more numerous, no fewer than six opium cases coming in, of which however, four arrived too late for successful treatment.
41. Wounds of all kinds and all degrees of severity were very numerous as usual. Gunshot wounds being on the increase. Fractures simple and compound were more frequent than in 1885; no fewer than 49 being admitted, of which seven proved fatal.
42. Operations were more numerous than in 1885.
43. Seventy-nine deaths occurred in Hospital during the year, and the number would have been larger but that some of the hopeless cases among the Chinese were removed by their relatives.
44. The receipts from patients in 1886 were larger than ever before, and amounted to $10,313.23, of which $2,501.50 was derived from the Board of Trade, and $1,036,15 from the Police.
45. In 1885 the receipts were $6,653.74, of which $1,618.50 came from the Board of Trade, and $690.87 from the Police.
46. The visiting Justices have made frequent inspections of the Hospital during the
year,
andi
their reports have invariably been favourable. They have on several occasions suggested improvements high wall which shuts in the south side of the Hospital enclosure &c., some of their suggestions have in the building and fittings, such as the laying on of hot water to the bath rooms, the removal of the
been acted on, but the two mentioned have not been carried out.
47. The collapse of the Steam Laundry Company left the Hospital dependent on the Chinese washer men and the result is not satisfactory. One of these days, perhaps, the Hospital will have its own; laundry.
I
48. The Hospital still remains without any facility for disinfecting bedding and clothing, although understand that a steam disinfector has been lying in the Government store for months past. 49. I now conclude a somewhat hasty review of the work of the Civil Hospital in 1886. 50. The number of patients and consequent responsibility and anxiety were larger than ever before, and the revenue from patients considerably exceeded that of any previous year.
51. With the growth of the Colony, the Hospital work has naturally increased, and there is no doubt that one Medical Officer is not now sufficient for the requirements of the Establishment.
52. That I have been able to carry on the work so long is due to the obliging disposition of Dr. MARQUES, and his ever ready assistance.
the
I trust that the frequent gratuitous services of Dr. MARQUES, in the Civil Hospital will one day recognized by the Government, and a satisfactory position in the Department accorded to him.
53. I must add a word of thanks to the Naval and Military Surgeons who are, and have been on the station, for valuable assistance, especially at operations.
I have the honour to be,
Dr. PH. B. C. AYRES,
Colonial Surgeon.
Enclosure 2.
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
Report on the Lock Hospital.
C. J. WHARRY, M.D., Superintendent.
GOVERNMENT LOCK HOSPITAL,
HONGKONG, February 8th, 1887.
SIR,-I have the honour to forward the Annual Report together with Tables of the work done in
this Hospital and at Wántsai during the past year.
2. The total number of examinations made at Wántsai was 361, and at this hospital 12,464. 3. The admissions including those from unregistered brothels, who on examination were found to diseased, amounted to 401 women, being 10 less than in 1885.
4. The number of registered women admitted for the last three
i
"Year. Number of
examinations.
Gonorrhoea.
Lencorrhea,
Soft Sore.
SYPHILIS.
Primary.
Ani
Cufane-.
Bard
Erup-
tion.
Chancro
18841
12,522
100 72 65
1
1885. i 12,454
67 168 38
+
1
years is as follows
Secondary.
Labial Abcess.
Abrasion & Elecration!
of Os Uteri.
Warts.
women admitted.
No. of registered
Free from discase.
41
286 12,236
93
40* 367 12,087
1886.
12,407
111155 5I
3
wwwwww
4 33
378 12,029
REMARKS,
* These were all extirpated, and the women were not admitted.
5. It will be seen that more Registered women were again admitted last year than in the two previous years.
and Secondary syphilis there were three cases,
6. There was a marked decrease in cases of abrasion and ulceration of the os uteri; of Primary
the
of
past year, the complaints against the registered women have been greater, but this does not neces- 7. In consequence perhaps of the large number of men-of-war assembled in the harbour during
ily imply that there has been a noticeable increase of serious disease amongst these women, as many them are wrongly charged.
8. It is strange that complaints from a certain class of men should generally be made against some uses whose inmates are particularly clean.
394
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