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however, being done and some improvement in the conditions cao be reported. The policy adopted of admitting early cases only was gradually introduced in the latter part of the year and the general outlook of patients and staff has improved.

Cheung Chau Hospital is used for convalescent cases in the main although some treatment cases are admitted. The treatineart is curried out by a medical officer from the central clinic, but the general care and day to day requirements are undertaken by the medical officer in charge.

The Tung Wah Group of hospitals have been most no-operative in disposal of patients, and particularly in taking care of the advanced and ill cases.

The total number of beds available in the Colony for treatment of tuberculosis, calculated either on the standard of one bed per thousand population or one bed per tuberculosis death per year, falls very far short of the requirenient but, under the circumstances hospital beds for the tuberculous will always be in short supply as the greater the provision, the greater the demand through the arrival of tuberculous individuals from other areas.

The known mumber of beds reserved exclusively for cases of tuberculosis is 427 distributed as follows: -

Government Anti Tuberculosis service 281-Government Servants

Tung Wah Ilospital

Kwong Wah Hospital

Ruttonjee Sanatorium

and early casÉS. 40-Advanced cases.

40-

do.

66-Early cases in adults

& children.

In pro- expansion.

Results of treatment.

8800

of

Working in co-opera- tion with Government service.

In the absence of any system of classification of cases, the results of treatment are impossible to assess and present, hut, generally speaking, the response to treatment is highly satisfactory. Radiological examination.

All X-ray work in connection with the clinic is carried out at the Queen Mary Hospital. First examinations are done on miniature films and thereafter according to request. The absence of an X-ray unit in the clinic occasions some delay in diagnosis and disposal of patients, but this deficiency is being kept in mind in future planning. The radiologist has been most helpful and co-operative in the formulation and furthering of meosures in- troduced in efforts to decrease these delays and reduce inconvenience to patients to a minimum. In view of the distance at which the X-ray quit is situated from the clinic transport to and fro is provided.

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Bacteriological.

All bacteriological work done in connection with the tuber- culosis service is carried out at the Government Pathological Institute. Details of examinations carried out on behalf of the clinic are as follows:-

Puritive Negative

Total

Sputum

968

2,220

3,197

Gastric contents Pleural fluid

81

812

893

18

94

£12

Kahn test

1,782

211

1,093

Tuberculosis Visitors.

During the year a course was instituted for the training of health visitors for the tuberculosis service. Ideally auch visitors should have nursing training before undertaking such a course, but, due to the lack of trained nurses, it has been necessary to select individuals and train them specifically for the post of health visitors in the tuberculosis service and to instil some knowledge of oursing, bygiene and social welfare work during this training. The services of these visitors are utilised as follows: —

(a) Feeding scheme.

(b) Education of patients on domiciliary treatment. (c) Bringing up for examination and treatment patienta

who have failed to attend the clinic.

(d) Contact examination.

The contact examination scheme has only recently been introduced and promises to be a conaidarable auccess. It is so organised that the necessity for patients to attend the clinic is as far as possible abolished, having in mind the fact that the elinic is already overcrowded and symptomless contacts are not anxious to spend a complate morning among known infectious Coses. At present only children under 8 years of age need attend and this only for tuberculin testing at a session held specifically for this purpose.

The proportion of early cases so discovered promises to be high.

Social Provisions. Gradual extension of social provisions bas taken placa during the period. Assistance is now provided both in cash and in kind. Cash provisions are limited to cases who, because of financial difficulties, would be unable to accept hospital treatment when offered, on account of family commitments. A maintenance grant is provided for dependents during the patient's stay in hospital. Financial assistance is occasionally provided where a case intends to return to his native village.