buildings situated in one of the most congested areas in the city. It is a hospital of a nominal bed strength of 88 beds but rarely are there less than 100 patients in it at any one time and very frequently considerably more. There is a staff of ten doctors but these officers are also responsible for certain duties in the adjacent Sai Ying Pun Out-patient Clinic. disturbing discovery made in this hospital during the year was that a local strain of Shigella has developed resistance to chloramphenicol making the successful treatment of certain cases of bacillary dysentery rather more difficult. Fortunately certain anti-biotics proved efficacious. Lai Chi Kok Hospital is not strictly speaking a hospital for infectious diseases alone. It is a large institution of the pavilion type with 484 beds, housed in adapted premises, and only part of it is used as an infectious disease hospital, 208 beds being set aside for cases of tuberculosis and 108 being used as a relief hospital for con- valescent and chronic cases from the two general hospitals. Many of these long term chronic cases are orthopaedic cases in children and this year one general ward of 26 beds was specifically set aside for this type of patient. The Red Cross Society interested itself in these children and has provided a teacher and teaching equipment for this ward. Occupational therapy has been introduced but so far little enthusiasm has been aroused for making articles for which no monetary reward is to be expected. In the infectious disease section of the hospital 1,159 cases were treated during the year which is 325 less than in the previous year.
Mental Hospital.
81. The present hospital for mental diseases is completely inadequate, antiquated, and thoroughly unsatisfactory. It is hoped to replace this institution shortly with a modern well designed hospital. Overcrowding, always a serious problem, was worse than ever during 1954. There were 1,023 admissions as compared with 825 in 1953. The hospital is designed to accommodate 140 patients but during the year there were never less than 300 housed in it at any one time and at the end of the year there were 363. A high standard of modern treatment
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is maintained nevertheless and the hospital is the University training centre for the study of nervous disorders. The quality of work done has received favourable commendation from visiting prominent psychiatrists. During the year no less than 635 patients were discharged home with all symptoms fully remitted and 181 were discharged greatly improved and fit to resume normal life. The average length of stay was 44.75 days. There were 55 deaths, 30 of them due to syphilis. There were 468 new cases treated as out-patients and 1,188 old cases continued out-patient treatment. The new drug "Chlorproma- zine" was used for the control of disturbed patients and found to be of great value. Trials are being made at present of the new Rauwolfia alkaloids for the same purpose. An occupa- tional therapist with experience in mental hospitals has recently joined the staff and this form of therapy is being further developed.
Social Hygiene Hospital.
82. This small hospital provides 20 beds and 8 cots for the treatment of vencreal diseases in women and infants. The premises are old and not satisfactory but recent renovations and re-decoration have considerably improved conditions. Because of these major repairs and alterations, which were completed towards the end of the year, only half of the hospital was able to function at any one time during 1954, and con- sequently there was a sharp reduction in the volume of work done. Only 588 patients were admitted. Because of the convenience, safety, and efficacy of the modern out-patient treatment with antibiotics, it is less frequently necessary to hospitalize cases of gonorrhoea although this disease has much All graver sequelae and complications in women than in men, out-patient service is also operated in this hospital for female patients.
Prison Hospitals and Medical Facilities.
83. There are 2 small hospitals in each of the two main prisons but not in the remand prison or in any of the institu- tions for youthful offenders. In these latter institutions there
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