713
It was in 1889 that Mr. Chadwick's second visit was made and we have failed to find any record of the expression of surprise attributed to him.
15. With regard to the remarks of Dr. Lowson quoted in paragraph 27 the isolation of contacts was in a measure carried out in 1894 by the Permanent Committee who removed over 4,000 persons from Tai-ping-shan and isolated them in unoccupied houses in the Western part of the City. They found it is impossible to carry the system further.
In 1895 isolation of contacts in large boats was adopted. This was feasible owing to the small number of cases occurring, the total for the year being only 44. In 1896 it was adopted in similar boats during the first two months of the Plague (January and February) when it had to be abandoned owing to the large increase in the number of cases from 49 in January to 168 in March.
It has not been adopted since as it has not been found possible to carry it out when the number of cases became at all large.
The latrines in 1894 were constantly disinfected and that precaution has been adopted in every epidemic since.
The measures taken to abate overcrowding and improve cleanliness have already been described.
16. In paragraph 28 the Petitioners quote an opinion of Dr. Lowson that "an epidemic in Hongkong could be tackled and got under rapidly if men in sufficient number could be got to do the work."
We regret to say that the experience of 1894 does not justify Dr. Lowson's opinion.
The Permanent Committee had an unlimited supply of men in that year, comprising Police, Soldiers and Civilian Volunteers, for business, as has been mentioned, was brought to a standstill by the exodus of Chinese.
In spite of the many workers and of the most drastic measures the epidemic though undoubtedly confined within narrower limits was not "got under" one day sooner than it ceased of its own accord in the neighbouring City of Canton where no steps whatever were taken to combat the Plague.
The measures that have been adopted since 1894 are those which were recommended by the principal workers in the epidemic of 1894, by the Sanitary Board, by the Medical Advisers of the Government, and which commended themselves to the Community as represented on the Legislative Council.
As to the Medical Staff available to help in carrying out those measures, we would point out that in 1895 a Committee consisting of Deputy Inspector General Knott, R. N., Surgeon Colonel Preston, A.M.S., Mr. McConachie, Mr. Thurburn & Dr. Cantlie was appointed to enquire into the Medical Department, and that the Medical Staff is constituted in accordance with their recommendations with the exception that the Health Officer of the Port retains his private practice.
It must however be borne in mind that the latter officer employs an Assistant to do the work in the Harbour.
The statements that "at the height of the epidemic there was one Medical Officer on duty at the Infectious Hospitals for Europeans and Asiatics at Kennedy Town who was compelled through want of accommodation to reside a mile from the Hospitals and whose duties also included attendance on the Prisons and the Police" and that a Civil practitioner was not appointed to relieve the official doctor of a portion of his duties until the matter had been ventilated in the Public Press are misleading.
In the first place one (and the largest) of the Plague Hospitals at Kennedy Town is a branch of the Tung Wa Hospital and is open to Chinese only who are attended by their own native doctors. The European Medical Officer only visits daily to exercise a general supervision.
The greatest number of cases under treatment at one and the same time in the Kennedy Town Hospital during the recent epidemic was 22. To assist him in attending on these cases the Medical Officer had 2 European Wardmasters, 2 trained European Nurses and 1 trained Chinese Wardmaster—a medical student in his fifth year of study.
The Medical Officer has never resided in the Kennedy Town Hospital—not even in 1894. He is in telephonic communication with it.
The Medical Officer's duties at the Gaol occupy about one hour a day. The Police (except women—and these go to Hospital for confinement) and children of whom there are not many go into Hospital when sick. Practically the only Police work is in connection with Post Mortem cases at the Mortuary.
The Medical Officer was relieved of that work on the 13th of May. At the height of the epidemic (215 cases in one week) he was relieved of the Gaol work on the recommendation of the Acting Principal Civil Medical Officer.
In answer to an inquiry whether the Medical Officer should be in constant attendance at Kennedy Town Hospital the Acting Principal Medical Officer advised that it was not necessary as ample trained assistance was on the spot for any European.
Regarding the alleged insufficiency of the Sanitary Staff, we would draw attention to the fact that it was in consequence of a recommendation made in 1899 by a Select Committee of the Sanitary Board consisting of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Clark) and Mr. Osborne (one of the Petitioners) based on a report by Dr. Clark himself, that the number of Sanitary Inspectors was fixed at twenty.
We append a copy of the report marked Enclosure F. as it shows on what calculations the number was arrived at, and would point out that when Dr. Clark made that report he was himself satisfied, and Mr. Osborne, a Member of the Sanitary Board then and now, must have been also satisfied, that an Inspector's visit at least once in two months to each floor of his district was reasonably sufficient.
The Petitioners omit to mention the fact that the 20 Inspectors were exclusive of a highly trained Chief Inspector of Nuisances obtained from England in the early part of 1899 and who has left recently owing to ill health, or that he is being replaced by an Assistant Medical Officer of Health.
As for the want of training of the Inspectors the Chief Inspector was engaged principally to train them. Application was however made early in this year for three trained Inspectors from home and two more have recently been asked for.
The Memorialists compare the Sanitary Staff here with that of Liverpool.
The Medical Officer of Health we are given to understand based his calculations in some measure on the Sanitary Staff of Newcastle, where he received his training as a Health Officer, which had a population of 228,000 persons in 1899, and a staff of from 14 to 18 Sanitary Inspectors and 1 Chief Inspector in 1891.
The population of Victoria, Kowloon and the Hill District (which are the districts in which the Sanitary Inspectors work in this Colony) is:—
Victoria, 181,918; Kowloon, 43,871; Hill District, 2,224; Total, 228,018.
17. With regard to the statements contained in the letter of the Chamber of Commerce of the 7th of June, (Para. 30 of the Petition), we have only to point to the enclosures B, and C. hereto to show upon what slender foundations those statements rest.
18. In conclusion we cannot refrain from expressing our regret that the Petition as drafted is calculated to mislead. Any one who reads it, without local knowledge and unacquainted with the real facts of the case, could not but receive the erroneous impression that in Hongkong sanitation has been at a standstill for the last twenty years and that nothing has been done or attempted to improve the sanitary condition of the Colony.
That such an impression would be entirely erroneous is shown by the facts we have adduced.
It is unfortunate that the Petition as worded is not more worthy of the good cause—the improved sanitation of Hongkong—it purports to serve.
Every resident who has the true welfare of the Colony at heart must be in favour of that cause, and it would indeed be a benighted Government that refused to do all in its power to advance it.
But the sanitary improvement of the Colony in the future is not likely to be secured by misrepresenting its sanitary history in the past.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary.
W. CHATHAM, M.I.C.E.,
Acting Director of Public Works and President of the Sanitary Board.
F. H. MAY, Captain Superintendent of Police and Vice-President of the Sanitary Board.
Hongkong, 18th July, 1901.
Enclosure F.
}
713
It was in 1889 that Mr. Chadwick's second visit was made and we have failed to find any record of the expression of surprise attributed to him.
15. With regard to the remarks of Dr. Lowson quoted in paragraph 27 the isolation of con- tacts was in a measure carried out in 1894 by the Permanent Committee who removed over 4,000 persons from Tai-ping-shan and isolated them in unoccupied houses in the Western part of the City. They found it is impossible to carry the system further.
In 1895 isolation of contacts in large boats was adopted. This was feasible owing to the small number of cases occurring, the total for the year being only 44. In 1896 it was adopted in similar boats during the first two months of the Plague (January and February) when it had to be abandoned owing to the large increase in the number of cases from 49 in January to 168 in It has not been adopted since as it has not been found possible to carry it out when the number of cases became at all large.
March
The latrines in 1894 were constantly disinfected and that precaution has been adopted in every epidemic since.
The measures taken to abate overcrowding and improve cleanliness have already been described 16. In paragraph 28 the Petitioners quote an opinion of Dr. Lowson that "an epidemic in Hongkong could be tackled and got under rapidly if men in sufficient uumber could be got to do
the work."
We regret to say that the experience of 1894 does not justify Dr. Lowson's opinion.
The Permanent Committee had an unlimited supply of men in that year, comprising Police, Soldiers and Civilian Volunteers, for business, as has been mentioned, was brought to a stand- still by the exodus of Chinese.
In spite of the many workers and of the most drastic measures the epidemic though undoubt- edly confined within narrower limits was not "got under" one day sooner than it ceased of its own accord in the neighbouring City of Canton where no steps whatever were taken to combat the Plague.
The measures that have been adopted since 1894 are those which were recommended by the principal workers in the epidemic of 1894, by the Sanitary Board, by the Medical Advisers of the Government, and which commended themselves to the Community as represented on the Legislative Council. As to the Medical Staff available to help in carrying out those measures, we would point out that in 1895 a Committee consisting of Deputy Inspector General Knott, R. N., Surgeon Colonel Preston, A.M.S., Mr. McConachie, Mr. Thurburn & Dr. Cantlie was appointed to enquire into the Medical Department, and that the Medical Staff is constituted in accordance with their recommendations with the exception that the Health Officer of the Port retains his private practice.
It must bowever be borne in mind that the latter officer employs an Assistant to do the work in the Harbour.
The statements that "at the height of the epidemic there was one Medical Officer on duty at the Infectious Hospitals for Europeaus and Asiatics at Kennedy Town who was compelled through want of accommodation to resido a mile from the Hospitals and whose duties also included at- tendance on the Prisous and the Police" and that a Civil practitioner was not appointed to relieve the official doctor of a portion of his duties until the matter had been ventilated in the Public Press are misleading.
In the first place one (and the largest) of the Plague Hospitals at Konnedy Town is a branch of the Tung Wa Hospital and is open to Chinese only who are attended by their own native doctors. The Europeau Medical Officer only visits daily to exercise a general supervision.
The greatest number of cases under treatment at one and the same time in the Kennedy Town Hospital during the recent epidemic was 22. To assist him in attending on these cases the Medical Officer had 2 European Wardmasters, 2 trained European Nurses and 1 trained Chineso Wardmaster-a medical student in his fifth year of study. The Medical Officer has never resided in the Kennedy Town Hospital-not even in 1894. He is in telephonic communication with it. The Medical Officer's duties at the Guol occupy about one hour a day. The Police (except women --and these go to Hospital for confinement and children of whom there are not many go into Hospital when sick. Practically the only Police work is in connection with Post Mortem cases
Enclosure F.
at the Mortuary. The Medical Officer was relieved of that work on the 13th of May. At the height of the epidemic (215 cases in one week) he was relieved of the Gaol work on the recom- mendation of the Acting Principal Civil Medical Officer.
In answer to an inquiry whether the Medical Officer should be in constant attendance at Kennedy Town Hospital the Acting Principal Medical Officer advised that it was not necessary as ample trained assistance was on the spot for any European.
Regarding the alleged insufficiency of the Sanitary Staff, we would draw attention to the fact that it was in consequence of a recommendation made in 1899 by a Select Committee of the Sanitary Board consisting of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Clark) and Mr. Osborne (one of the Petitioners) based on a report by Dr. Clark himself, that the number of Sanitary Inspectors was fixed at twenty.
We append a copy of the report marked enclosure F. as it shows on what calculatious the number was arrived at, and would point out that when Dr. Clark made that report he was himself satisfied, and Mr. Osborne, a Member of the Sanitary Board theu and now, must have been also satisfied, that an Inspector's visit at least once in two months to each floor of bis district was reasonably sufficient.
The Petitioners omit to mention the fact that the 20 Inspectors were exclusive of a highly trained Chief Inspector of Nuisances obtained from England in the early part of 1899 and who has left recently owing to ill health, or that he is being replaced by an Assistant Medical Officer of Health.
As for the want of training of the Inspectors the Chief Inspector was engaged principally to train them. Application was however made early in this year for three trained Inspectors from home and two more have recently been asked for.
The Memorialists compare the Sanitary Staff here with that of Liverpool,
The Medical Officer of Health we are given to understand based his calculations in some measure on the Sanitary Staff of Newcastle, where he received his training as a Health Officer, which had a population of 228,000 persons in 1899, and a staff of from 14 to 18 Sanitary Inspect-
ors and 1 Chief Inspector in 1891.
the Sanitary Inspectors work in this Colony is :-~
Victoria, Kowloon,
The population of Victoria, Kowloon and the Hill District (which are the districts in which
181,918
43,871
2,224
228,018
Hill District,
Total,
17. With regard to the statements contained in the letter of the Chamber of Commerce of
the 7th of June, (Para. 30 of the Petition), we have only to point to the enclosures B, and C. hereto to show upon what slender foundations those statements rest.
18. In conclusion we cannot refrain from expressing our regret that the Petition as drafted is calculated to mislead. Any one who reads it, without local knowledge and unacquainted with the real facts of the case, could not but receive the erroneous impression that in Hongkong sanitation has been at a standstill for the last twenty years and that nothing has been done or attempted to improve the sanitary condition of the Colony. That such an impression would be entirely erroneous is shown by the facts we have adduced. It is unfortunate that the Petition as worded is not more worthy of the good cause--the improved sanitation of Hongkong-it purports to serve. Every resident who has the true welfare of the Colony at heart must be in favour of that cause, and it would indeed be a benighted Government that refused to do all in its power to advance it. But the sanitary improvement of the Colony in the future is not likely to be secured by misrepresenting its sanitary history in the past.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary,
W. CHATHAM, M.1.0.8.,
Acting Director of Public Works and President of the Sanitary Board.
F. H. MAY, Captain Superintendent of Police and Vice-President of the Sanitary Board.
Honakose, 18th July, 1901.
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