CO129-472 - Others - 1921 — Page 457

SINGAPORE

4547

GENERAL REPORT

paper to the Medical Association advising unity between the groups. He promised support to the policy of the Council and advised our laying our proposals before the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He gave us introductions to the President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce who had heard of the Hong Kong meeting.

A fully representative meeting of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was addressed by the Commissioners and resulted in a unanimous resolution in favour of the policy of free treatment and public enlightenment with reference to Venereal Disease. There was agreement among the Government Authorities, the Chinese Hospital Committees and the Chinese Advisory Committee that in any scheme for free treatment and propaganda all sections of the community should be included.

FEDERATED MALAY STATES.

As High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States we discussed with Sir Laurence Guillemard the desirability of arranging a combined scheme for Singapore and the Federated Malay States. Owing to lack of time we were unable, as desired by the Authorities of the Federated Malay States, to visit Kuala Lumpur. A combined scheme was, however, fully discussed with representatives of the Federated Malay States visiting Singapore.

It is the intention of the Principal Civil Medical Officer to collaborate closely with the Principal Medical Officer of the Federated Malay States in devising a general scheme for dealing with venereal diseases.

It is intended by all that the principle of free diagnosis and treatment should be extended to the Federated Malay States, and that post-graduate teaching should be given to the medical practitioners in charge of the travelling dispensaries that carry out most of the Western medicine undertaken in the Federated Malay States. The prevalence of venereal disease among the Malays is reported as extremely high.

During their visit the Commissioners had the opportunity, thanks to the courtesy of the Governor and the Acting Governor and other members of the Colonial Government, of conferring with the representatives of the various Authorities concerned and of visiting Hospitals and Institutes.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.

The existing conditione as to diagnosis were unsatisfactory. Free diagnosis was given to specimens sent in from the Government Hospital, but in all other cases 25 to 50 dollars a specimen was charged. The result was that, even at the Chinese Hospital where three wards were entirely devoted to venereal cases, no bacteriological work was undertaken because the cost could not be met.

We believe that it is important that this free diagnosis should be available as from information received it appears that the incidence of disease