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APPENDIX A (1).

REPORT OF

THE PATHOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, HONG KONG.

(1) Introductory.

1. General. It is six years since the present writer undertook the task of writing an Annual Report and it is difficult to know how much to say about the intervening years. Probably it is best to be severely brief. The Japanese occupied the Institute and ran it until their defeat, consequently there was a basis left upon which we could rebuild with fairly quick and successful results. While much equipment was left, most of it was in poor condition, having suffered from the abuse and neglect which the Japanese visited on every thing mechanical. We were. however, able to do a certain amount of clinical pathology very soon after September, 1945, and by the time I arrived in December the Institute was functioning after a fashion--a great tribute to the efforts of those of the Staff who remained at work and suffered at the hands of the Japanese for almost four years. It is a pleasure to record our gratitude for their faithful work. Difficulties were naturally innumerable.

It was almost impossible to do minor repairs to equipment and we were forced to do what we could ourselves. Reagents were only obtainable by diut of personally searching for them all over the Colony and by Instituting a kind of network of enquiry among all sorts and conditions of people. We also worked in close co-operation with the medical branches of the armed services, who helped us in every way they were able. We mutually exchanged reagents and materials whenever possible.

We are particularly anxious to acknowledge the ready help received from Majors Parry and Walton, Pathologists of the R.A.M.C., and from Surg. Capt. Keating, R.N.; these officers were always ready to share their own sometimes scanty resources with us. or help as obtain supplies through their own supply organizations. The situation has gradually become easier as the months have passed and some supplies have been received from home, but our complete lack of any reserve stocks of essential materials of many kinds makes our existence as an organization turning out a large and some- times unpredictable volume of work of a most varied kind a very hand to mouth one. and is a cause of continual worry to those responsible for the work of the Institute.

The buildings of the Institute are, to put it mildly, in an extremely bad condition. The Japanese of course carried out no maintenance work on them, with predictable results. The roof is leaking badly in wet weather, and as no inspection bas been carried out for five years it is almost certain that white ants will have eaten the beams to shells, The physical surroundings are certainly not an incentive to modern scientific work on the part of the staff. It is depressing to a degree.

Our library is in fair condition; a few of our more modern editions are missing, and a number of bound volumes of journals likewise, but on the whole we have been extremely fortunate to have sufficient literature to get along with until the gaps can be filled. So far we have had no replacement of our journals, which is a defect of a serious kind in a scientific institute, and we hope that it will be repaired in the not too distant future.

We have with regret to record the loss of two of our trained technical assistants during the war. Fortunately our staff as a whole are mostly back at work,

Immediately on reoccupation of the Colony it was considered advisable, owing to difficulties of transportation, to open a small branch Institute in Kowloon. Dr. Alvares was put in charge and a couple of our trained technicians assisted him. The brauch is still in operation and it seems likely to become a permanency, It has created some staff difficulties, however, as there has been no Increase in our establish- meat yet and we are working under short-banded conditions.

It should be noted that in spite of difficulties of every kind, far from the activities of the Institute being curtailed, there has been expansion. This has been the case especially in respect to public health work, such as milk, water and food examinations, also in serology and vaccine production.

2.

(2)

Protozoology and Helminthology.

Blood films for malaria-Four thousand films were examined for the parasites of malaria, One thousand and ninety-two contained parasites. Classification of types is shown in the table.