crochet work and knitting. The male patients have done bamboo and ratian work, carpentry and furniture making in addition to broom making, splint making and basket work.
407. Some interesting work has been done by the Senior Occupa- tional Therapist in connexion with diagnostic painting and drawing by mental patients. Several paintings of good quality have been completed by patients, framed and used as ward decorations.
408. Outings to places of interest and to shop for materials used in the occupational crafts have been organized for selected groups of mental patients and have proved popular and beneficial.
409. At the Castle Peak Mental Hospital where the patients are mainly retarded and suffering from chronic conditions, occupation has been limited to relatively simple tasks in rattan work, machine sewing. needle work and gardening.
410. At the Queen Mary Hospital an overhead suspension was installed during the year and the standard of specific medical treatments has improved. It is now possible to treat disabilities of the hands, elbows, shoulders, legs and ankles in both early and late stages. Much more use is now being made of occupational therapy, particularly for orthopaedic conditions.
411. There is a wide field for specific occupational therapy at Lai Chi Kok, and the addition of a foot power loom and an electric lathe to the equipment has expanded the scops of the work, Plastic flowers, animals and baskets, rattan work, hooked rugs, dolls furniture, toys. jigsaw puzzles and pattern weaving have all produced articles of high standard. As many of the patients so occupied are permanently disabled much effort has been concentrated on instruction in the use of aids for essential activities such as cating, washing, dressing and walking.
MEDICAL EXAMINATION BOARD
412. The functions of this Board are to examine medically all candidates for appointment to the Government Service, all recruits to the Auxiliary Defence Service and all members of the Service prior to entry to the permanent establishment, to promotion or to transfer out- side Hong Kong. Work is also undertaken in connexion with the medical certification of prospective emigrants to a number of countries where an official certificate is demanded by the respective Immigration Authorities. All medical examinations include a full physical examina-
tion, an X-ray of the Chest, and such laboratory investigations as may be required.
413. The Board consists of a Chairman and four other Medical Officers, one of whom is a woman. Specialist advice is available on request from the Government specialist clinical units. Work done during the year is summarized in Table 38.
New examinations Re-examinations
Annual Total
TABLE 38
Aue. Defensor
Gov't AponiminenLY
1958 1939 19.48 19.59
Miscellaneous
Toral
1958 1959
1958
1959
6.232 7/3 2,539 2,193 3,6411 3.764 1.960 2.436
149
65
137 8,920
9,454
9,873 10,889 4.500 4,628 214
91 5.567 6,281
218 14.587 15,735
2,513 2,411
Referred for a specialist opinion
414. Pulmonary tuberculosis still remains the commonest cause for rejection, and 1.712 cases were referred to the Senior Tuberculosis Specialist for an opinion on abnormal chest findings; of these 10.5% were rejected on account of active tuberculosis, 13.9% because of quiescent tuberculosis, and 13.0% because of arrested tuberculosis, a total of 37.4% of persons thus referred. The percentage of the total candidates examined who had healed pulmonary tuberculosis and who were eventually accepted for appointment was 4.7%.
415. Out of a total of 15.735 candidates examined by the Board. 1.128 were found medically unfit. Table 39 gives an analysis of the causes of rejection.
Pulmonary tuberculosis
TABLE 39
Diseases of the Respiratory System (excluding tuberculosis) Diseases of the Circulatory System Diseases of the Alimentary System Diseases of the Skeletal System
Per 1,000 ecaminarians
60.12
2.41
2.66
1.01
0.50
0.50
0.57
0.38
1.540
0.69
T.14
95
Diseases of the Genito-Urinary System Diseases of the Nervous System Diseases of the Endocrine System Diseases of the Eye Diseases of the Skin
Miscellaneous
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