X1000306-1960-61_Part01 — Page 37

Service and an ophthalmic workshop provides spectacles, on paying basis, to those children requiring them.

TABLE 31

WORK OF THE OPHTHALMIC SERVICE 1959-60

New out-patient attendances

Total out-patient attendances

Operations performed

Home visits by Health Visitors Spectacles provided for children

1959 73,846

1960 79,075 161.302 192,397

4,787

5,001

2,562

3.370

2.702

2.392

260. A survey of blind persons was conducted during 1960 on similar lines to that undertaken in 1953. The most important change has been the marked decrease in the importance of blindness ascribed to keratomalacia; only two children were discovered to have been blinded by this deficiency disease during the past seven years. Blindness due to trachoma has remained at a comparatively constant level, but all such patients are over the age of forty and no new cases are pre- senting in children. There is a marked increase in blindness due to geriatric causes. The details of the two surveys are shown in Table 32.

TABLE 32

INCIDENCE OF BLINDNESS BY CAUSE IN HONG KONG 1953 AND 1960

Percentage of Towl Blind" Persons

Came

Keratomalacia

Cataract

Trachoms

Syphilis

Injury and infection

Congenital defects

Glaucoma

N.S. Uveitis/Optic Atrophy Others

M

FORENSIC PATHOLOGY

1953

1960

44

15

ΤΕ

42

11

12

LO

7.5

6

3

3.3

2.5

1.3

100.0

100.0

261. All medico-legal work in connexion with the investigation of crime is carried out from laboratories situated in the Police Head- quarters building. The laboratories, under the direction of the Principal Forensic Pathologist, are staffed jointly by the Medical and Health and

62

Police Departments. Lectures are given in various aspects of medico- legal work to Police personnel and the Principal Forensic Pathologist is Lecturer in Forensic Medicine in the University of Hong Kong. Work undertaken during 1960 is detailed in Table 33.

TABLE 33

WORK OF THE FORENSIC PATHOLOGY LABORATORIES 1960 Examinations of victims and suspects

Altendances at scenes of crime

די

Medico-legal examinations of weapons

ཀ་

412

160

Attendances at court

105

--E

Medico-legal post-mortems

507

89

Examinations of hair, Abres and other slides Examination of clothing

465

721

Examination of miscellaneous articles

445

Blood-grouping (Medico-legal)

1.977

Blood-grupping (Police Officers)

492

Lectures to Police Officers

32

Breaches of Pharmacy and Poisons and Penicillin Ordinances Unregistered Medical Practitioners

93

28

Abortionists

5

Unregistered Dental Practitioners

16

Assistance in Raid's

Public Mortuaries

111

262. Two public mortuaries are maintained by Government, one on Hong Kong Island and the other in Kowloon. It is to these institu- tions that all cases of sudden, unnatural or uncertified death are brought; hence they lie correctly within the sphere of forensic pathology. Con- sequently, in May 1960, the mortuaries were transferred from the control of the Government Pathologist to that of the Principal Forensic Patho- logist. At the same time, administrative arrangements were made with the judiciary to expedite the formalities concerning the issue by Coroners of permission to undertake post-mortem examinations and of permits for burial.

263. An account of the work done in the Mortuaries is in Table 34.

TABLE 34

PUBLIC MORTUARIES 1960

Total number of bodies received Total number of autopsies performed

Number of bodies claimed Number of bodies unclaimed

63

Victoria

Kowloon

1,271

2,616

1,361

2,377

746

1,162

525

1.454