CO129-317 - Governor Sir Blake - 1903 [4-6] — Page 74

No. 203

Hongkong.

Closure

I March, 1903

aclosure 2.

3rd April, 1903.

☺

Government House,

Hongkong, 17th. April, 1903.

72

sir,

I have the honour to forward a letter from

the Principal Civil Medical Officer together with a statement

showing the new appointments and increases in salaries, amount-

7528

ing to $582, which Dr. Atkinson recommends should be placed

on the Estimates for 1904.

2.

The only item not referred to by Dr.

Atkinson in his letter is that of $216 on account of Probationer

Midwives at the Maternity Hospital. Native women who act as

Midwives have, as a rule, a lamentable ignorance of the

practice of midwifery and frequently cases are brought to

Hospital'in extremis' and showing the dreadful injuries which

the midwives have unwittingly inflicted.

3.

On Dr. Atkinson's recommendation therefore

I have approved of an attempt being made to train, in a ཀུ

practical manner, Chinese women as Midwives. It is proposed

that three women should be trained each year and if at the

end of a 12 months' course they have acquired a competent

knowledge of the subject, Certificates as trained Midwives

will be granted to them.

4.

As it would be most undesirable to allow

these women while probationers to live in Chinese houses on account

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,

&C...

&C..