Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 346

308

Reports of Medical Missions.

JUNE,

in a foreign soil; all can not with impunity remain, and sometimes even those who appear to be the strongest, are the first to fail. It is now six years since the port was opened, and the mortality among the foreign residents has on the whole been below that which usually happens, especially in newly-occupied localities, where there are always many things that militate against the enjoy- ment of a good state of health

For the purpose of further extending the benefits of the mospital, a dispensa. ry has been opened at the London Missionary Society's chapel within the city of Shanghái, at the back of the Ching-hwáng miáu or City temple, commonly called the Tea-gardens : this is attended to twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fri- days, and the attendance of patients has been satisfactory; many shopkeepers and others, who perhaps could not go so far as to the hospital outside the city, attend here it is intended that this dispensary shall be continued, if possible, so as to try the experiment fully.

Among the cases worthy of comment, is one of amputation of the forearm, in consequence of severe laceration of the hand and wrist, by the bursting of a gun on board a junk, during an action with pirates. The operation was per- formed while the patient was under the influence of chloroform: the flaps united by the first intention, making a good stump, and the man very soon left the hospital.

In February last, a man about 27 years old was admitted, who ten days pre- viously had been most barbarously beaten by order of the Chinese officers, to the extent of 100 blows with the smaller bamboo on the thigh and leg of the right side; mortification of the limb had made considerable progress, followed by extreme exhaustion, and he died during the night after his admission. He had been in perfect health up to the time of his punishment, and was a strong robust man of the working class, but the blows had been inflicted as severely as possible, with the edge of the flattened bamboo commonly used, and the parts struck had been so extremely mangled that gangrene at once supervened. There are two bamboos used on such occasions, a larger and a smaller one; they are made from a section or slice of a large bamboo, about three and a half inches wide and five feet long, which is then flattened by having all the joints sinoothed down, and the whole instrument is made thick or thin as may be re- quired. With the large bamboo, only 40 blows can be inflicted at one time, at least such is said to be the law; but if the officers wish to punish a prisoner very severely, though the punishment may be directed to be inflicted with the smaller instrument only, still the blows are given with considerable force, and even with the bamboo held edgewise; thus causing most agonizing pain, and inflicting much injury on all the parts that are so struck, namely, the calves of the legs and the backs of the thighs just above the knee, so that 100 such blows frequently cause death. Persons have frequently come to the hospital who have been beaten by the policemen, and in all cases a large slough of skin and flesh has had to be removed, so that the muscles are often exposed; this punishment appears to be frequently inflicted for very trivial offenses, the amount of the punishment depending less on the flagitiousness of the crime, than on the amount of the fee which the offender can pay, while suffering the bastinado. In front of the magistrate's office, prisoners are often seen, whose faces have been shockingly mangled by blows inflicted with a piece of hard leather, like the sole of a shoe; the lower jaw is occasionally broken, and even death caused by the excessive swelling of the neck, resulting from this punishment. Some weeks ago, several men were seen thus exposed after punishment; one of thent had his face much injured, and his lips severely cut against his front teeth, which were broken by the blows, and the man had fallen down in a state of syncope.

To show the utter recklessness of Chinese patients regarding their health, the following case may be related. A man came to the hospital, very anxious to have a large tuinor taken away, which was situated on the forehead, near the outer margin of the orbit, and being pendulous, was very troublesome to him, and prevented him using his right eye; he was told that it could be easily removed, but that he must stay a few days in the hospital; this he said he could not do, and went away; a few days afterwards he returned, say.