CO129-364 - Public Offices & Others - 1909 — Page 302

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I feel that the failure of the Hong Kong Government to take me into the Service again as their Bacteriologist on the

Although Death of Dr. Hunter may tell against me in your mind. their offer to me of an increased salary in April 1908 if I stayed on at the end of my agreement will help you to see that they were satisfied with me. I should therefore like to give an explanation. During the last nine months of my service I had a long illness for which I was in bed for a total period of about three months. Its length and severity were brought

about in this way. While doing work which before and since has been the work of two men namely the Bacteriologist and his assistant a qualified Chinese Doctor, I got Influenza and while convalescant from this I could not get proper assistanca in my double duties owing to the absence of other Medical

I asked the P.C.M.0. Dr. Officers on leave and sickness.

Atkinson several times for assistance sometimes he persuaded me to go on without it, and sometimes it was available for a few days. I therefore stuck to the double work while ill till

I believe in I could not walk five hundred yards and I was, consequence, laid up with one of those acute attacks of toxic

This is an illness neurasthenis which often follow influenza,

which though prolonged gets quite better and I have recovered. My illness may be one of the reasons why the Hong Kong Govern- ment have not asked me to take the post of Bacteriologist re- cently held by Dr. Hunter. Though a far more likely one is that they wish to economise by giving the post to a man al-

ready in the Service.

I signed my agreement with the full knowledge that I was accepting £120 per annum less than other Medical Officers to the Hong Kong Government start on, and I had also heard rumours of the excessive expense of living in Hong Kong but I thought

and my friends said that no Colonial Goverment would engage &

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