quired by the clinical units in the hospital. Later in the year the frozen-section technique was introduced for rapid diagnosis during surgical operations.
Haematology and Blood Banks
76. In the field of haematology there is little to report except the introduction, in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, of automatic counting equipment which has saved many tedious man-hours of direct micro- scopy.
77. The Hong Kong Branch of the British Red Cross Society continued to maintain a blood collection service and to distribute the blood to the blood banks at the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals. The full functioning of the latter institution inevitably created increased demand and this was met, at least in part, by an intensified campaign by the Branch which provided approximately 11,200 pints- an increase of nearly 3,000 pints over the previous year. Although the greater part of the blood again came from members of the Armed Services or from visiting Royal Navy and United States warships, there are increasing donations by Chinese residents of the Colony. However, despite all these efforts, a serious shortage of blood was experienced throughout the year.
Virology
78. The Virus Laboratory is equipped mainly for diagnostic and survey work in connexion with entero-and respiratory viruses. It is designated a National Influenza Centre by the World Health Organization.
79. Routine identification of poliovirus and the conduct of serological surveys to assess the oral vaccination campaign were continued. A comparatively poor rise in Type I antibody following vaccination prompted an alteration in the composition of the trivalent vaccine used and an investigation into the value of administering Type 1 vaccine soon after birth: at the end of the year under review, further serological surveys were being conducted to ascertain the value of these innovations. Poliomyelitis virus types I and III continued to be almost equally the causative agents in clinical cases and only two cases of Type II were encountered; in addition, coxsackie virus, Group B. types 4 and 5 were each isolated from other patients in whom poliomyelitis was at first suspected.
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80. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, a respira- tory virus survey was conducted in the last quarter of 1964. The viruses prevalent during this period were, in order of frequency, para-influenza type 1. para-influenza type 2. adenoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus.
81. Studies are undertaken from time to time of throat swabs from suspected influenza cases to ascertain the prevalent strains. Three strains isolated from sporadic cases in 1964 were identified as Influenza type B; these strains differed antigenically from each other and generally resembled B/Johannesburg/33/58 rather than B/Taiwan/4/64,
82. In June, 1964, a small outbreak, in which patients presented with a syndrome of coryza, fever and conjunctivitis, was studied; the causative agent was adenovirus type 3.
INDUSTRIAL HEALTH
83. The outstanding feature in this sphere was the introduction of legislation requiring notification of certain industrial diseases and afford- ing compensation for confirmed cases. In the last six months of the year under review ten cases were notified, of which two were confirmed; both confirmed cases were of occupational dermatitis.
84. Several field surveys, both clinical and environmental, were undertaken by the Industrial Health Section of the Labour Department, which is staffed by officers seconded from the Medical and Health Department. These included assessment of thermal comfort in the laundry of a large modern hospital and in certain government offices; investigation of conditions in paint and varnish factories; urinalysis of workers handling fluoride at water filtration plants; and the determina- tion of lead absorbed by ship-breakers and by workers in a transistor radio factory. In addition, a continuous survey was commenced in Kowloon to determine the concentration of atmospheric sulphur dioxide in the vicinity of a large industrial plant.
REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL CLINICS
85. The Medical Clinics Ordinance, 1963, which came into force on 1st January, 1964, provides for the control of medical clinics in order to protect the public from exploitation in so-called charity clinics where the service provided is below an acceptable standard. Over
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