CO129-471 - Public Offices - 1921 — Page 178

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.

177

CHINA.

[June 2.}

CONFIDENTIAL.

C SECTION 3

35990

F 2059/15/10]

No. 1.

Sir C. Eliot to Earl Curzon.—(Received June 2).

13 JUL 21

Tokyo, April 19, 1921.

(No. 184.) My Lord,

AN article having appeared lately in the "Tokyo Asahi" newspaper in which it was asserted that, notwithstanding the existence of regulations prohibiting the sale of the drug, the morphine habit was spreading rapidly in certain districts in Korea, through the instrumentality of Korean and Japanese druggists and hospitals, I sent a copy of it to His Majesty's consul-general at Seoul, with a request for his observations on the subject.

I have now the honour to enclose a copy of the despatch I have received from him

in reply.

In a supplementary private letter, Mr. Lay adds that he is informed by the Korean writer at the consulate-general that it is quite easy for Koreans to obtain morphine either from native druggists or from Japanese, and that, although the Japanese authorities punish heavily the buyers of morphine, they make no enquiries as to the sellers, with the result that the latter do business in almost perfect security as long as they pay tribute in the proper quarters.

To avoid misapprehension, it is perhaps advisable for me to explain that the term hospital" does not necessarily mean an institution of the kind with which we are familiar at home. It is the general custom in Japan for doctors, even in the remote country towns, to have their own private hospitals, which are really little more than nursing homes or boarding houses with medical attendance included, and a dispensary of some kind or other attached, When, therefore, the Tokyo Asahi" speaks of hospitals, it refers probably to these rather than to the institutions which we know by

that name.

(Copy to Peking.)

Enclosure in No. 1.

I have, &c.

C. ELIOT.

(No. 35.) Sir,

Consul-General Lay to Sir C. Eliot.

Seoul, April 11, 1921. WITH reference to your Excellency's despatch No. 11 of the 21st ultimo, I have the honour to report that there appears to be an increasing use of morphine in Korea.

Dr. Stites, who is attached to the Severance Hospital in Seoul, says that a growing number of morphine patients are received at that establishment, and he has no doubt that the use of the drug is on the increase. He thinks the penalties are insufficient, but finds patients very reticent as to how the morphine is obtained.

Dr. Ludlow, also of the Severance Hospital, tells me that his experience leads hiu to the strong conviction that there is an ever-increasing use of morphine in Korea. Only recently he visited Kunsan, and Dr. Paterson, of the American Presbyterian Mission at that port, related many cases among his patients.

He

I have also communicated with Dr. Maclaren, of the Australian Presbyterian

He is convinced of the increase of Mission, Chin-ju, and have just received his reply. the morphine habit. Since his return to Korea a year ago le has had not less than eight patients admitted to the Paton Memorial Hospital at Chin-ju for treatment, which is a larger number in one year than the total for the four years 1913-16.

that the Koreaus seem to be able to obtain the drug without difficulty as long as their money lasts. He likewise knows that Dr. Reid, of the American Episcopal Methodist Mission, Sougdo, has treated a considerable number of patients.

I have, &c

says

[6376 b-3]

ARTHUR HYDE LAY.