hospital which occur on the mainland part of the Colony; it serves as a convalescent unit for Queen Mary and Kowloon Hospitals; and it accommodates a number of tuberculosis patients. The expansion of Kowloon, the increasing pressure on the two main acute hospitals, and the re-arrangement of the facilities for the hospital treatment of tuber- culosis can be seen from the changing number of beds allocated to such of these units shown in Table 25.
TABLE 24
DED ALLOCATIONS IN TAI CHI KOK HOSPITAL
Infectious Diseases
Convalescent Cases
Tuberculosis
Total
1950/59
19.50
1955
1959
**
944
120
180
TRO
267
202
2018
38
470
482
475
276. The unusually heavy incidence of diphtheria in the latter part of the year threw a great strain on the infectious diseases unit, and in December 144 beds were re-allocated to deal with the number of cases of diphtheria requiring admission: by the end of March, 1960, 57 of these beds had been returned to the tuberculosis unit.
277. The case mortality rate of 6.6% for diphtheria was the lowest ever recorded, the cause of death being either overwhelming toxaemia or 'late' bronchopneumonia not responding to the various antibiotics administered. A few reactions to antitoxin occurred and these responded well to adrenaline and antihistamine drugs. Over 90% of the children admitted with diphtheria had received no immunization, and of the remainder most had only received one injection of toxoid.
278. During the summer months there was, as is usual, a marked increase in the number of typhoid cases admitted. Only one death occurred, underlining the dramatic change which has taken place during the last ten years in the prognosis of this disease resulting from the introduction of chloramphenicol for routine treatment.
279. Bronchopneumonia accounted for a case mortality rate of 34.3% amongst children admitted with measles; many such patients are in extremis when they arrive and, while some respond well to antibiotics, others are too ill for treatment to have any effect. Tetanus showed a 48.8% case mortality; this bigh figure was due to the high proportion of tetanus neonatorum. Other infectious diseases seen were
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tuberculosis meningitis, amoebic and bacillary dysenteries, encephalitis, and poliomyelitis.
280. For the convalescent and tuberculosis patients both physio- therapy and occupational therapy are provided on a full-time basis. while the Hong Kong Branch of the British Red Cross maintains a school for long-term child patients.
281. Owing to the increasing pressure on beds in Kowloon Hospital, the convalescent unit is having to admit more and more acute con- ditions, such as threatened abortions and appendicular abscesses not in need of immediate surgical treatment and the term 'convalescent unit' is now to a great extent a misnomer.
Tsun Yuk Maternity Hospital
282. This is the main obstetric hospital in the Colony. Built and equipped from funds donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, this modern institution of 200 beds was opened in 1955, replacing the Old Tsan Yuk Hospital of 85 beds. It is maintained by Government, which also provides the Medical Superintendent, resident house officers and nursing and administrative staff. Clinical work in the wards is the responsibility of the Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the University of Hong Kong assisted by members of the University Unit and some Government Medical Officers. All tuition of medical students in obstetrics is conducted here, and Tsan Yuk is also the Colony's main training centre for midwives undertaking the two year course conducted in Cantonese; refresher courses are also held from time to time for the benefit of practising midwives.
283. Ante-natal. post-natal and infant welfare clinics are held re- gularly. In addition, there is a special clinic for medical conditions complicating pregnancy, a social hygiene clinic for venereal diseases, and a Family Planning Clinic staffed and run by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. All three of these clinics are held once or twice each week.
284. Owing to the demand for institutional midwifery, it has become necessary to limit routine admissions to cases registered in the ante- natal clinics and these formed 95.5% of the 8,196 admissions during 1959. These in turn were restricted as far as possible to primipara, to women with a previous history of abnormal pregnancy or labour, to
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