366
7.
Sir William Robinson did not mince words in his reply. He told the deputation that Hongkong was a British colony and as they had chosen to reside in it, they must submit to British laws and methods of sanitation. After hearing their requests positively and categorically denied, a very chastened deputation departed.
But vindictive propaganda went on just the same. Defamatory and libellous placards were posted in Hong Kong and later in much larger numbers in Canton. These posters attributed the most ghastly cruelties to the English doctors, charging them with cutting open pregnant women and with scooping out the eyes of children in order to make medicine for the treatment of plague-stricken patients.
The second article on the Great Plague of 1894 is published to-day. In yesterday's article I referred to the bitter propaganda used against Western doctors and Western medicine, and the great difficulty encountered in making the Chinese report plague cases.
Similar infamous and libellous placards appeared in all parts of the city, accusing Western doctors of unspeakable atrocities in dealing with Chinese patients. Posters had inflamed mobs to violence in Canton, and fearing outbreaks in Hongkong, the Governor, Sir William Robinson, requested Commodore Boyes to anchor a gunboat opposite the Tung Wah Hospital, and Taipingshan. Commodore Boyes immediately moved H.M.S. Tweed into the position indicated by the Governor. At the same time, His Excellency offered a handsome reward for any information which would lead to the arrest and conviction of the authors of the disgraceful placards. These steps had a very salutary effect and no more placards were issued here.
About the middle of May, the drought which was thought to have been responsible for the plague, broke with a vengeance. Twenty-three inches of rain fell in a short period, and the population fervently hoped that it would kill the plague. But they were disappointed. Mortality in cases of plague increased. The exodus of panic-stricken Chinese was also on the increase. Hongs are being emptied of their clerks; chair-coolies by the hundred deserted their employers without warning, and many domestic servants applied for the amount of their wages then due to enable them to go to Canton, or to join their families on the mainland. No less than 300 men left the China Sugar Factory one morning, and crossing over to Kowloon, started to walk to Swatow, a distance of 180 miles.
At this time, the admissions to the hospitals were 67, 70 and sometimes 80 a day, and the deaths in hospital and the dead bodies collected outside were on one occasion 109 in 24 hours.
When matters were at their worst, the Governor received information that the literati, who were doubtless in a measure responsible for the dissemination of the disgusting statements respecting the medical men in this Colony, had recommenced operations in Canton. It was currently stated that if any portion of Taipingshan was burnt down, as had been suggested, an attack would be made upon the British consulate at Canton and numerous defamatory placards involving not only the medical profession, but the "Red-haired Barbarian" generally were being posted in that city.
366
7.
Sir William Robinson did not mince words in his reply. He told the deputation that Hongkong was a British colony and as they had chosen to reside in it, they must submit to British laws and methods of sanitation. After hearing their requests positively and categorically denied, a very chastened deputation departed.
But vindictive propaganda went on just the same. Defamatory and libellous placards were posted in Hong
Kong and later in much larger numbers in Canton. These posters attributed the most ghastly cruelties to the English doctors, charging them with cutting open pregnant women and with scooping out the tyes of children in order to make medicine for the treatment of plague-stricken patients.
The second article on the Great Plague of 1894 is published to-day. In yesterday's article I referred to the bitter propaganda used against Western doctors and Western medicine, and the great difficulty encountered in making the Chinese report plague cases.
Similar
Infamous and libellous placards appeared in all parts of the city, accusing Western doctors of unspeakable atrocities in dealing with Chinese patients. posters had inflamed mobs to violence in Canton, and fear- ing outbreaks in Hongkong, the Governor, Sir Willian Robinson, requested Commodore Boyes to anchor a gunboat
The opposite the Tung Wah Hospital, and Taipingshan . Commodore immediately moved H.M.3. Tweed into the position indicated by the Governor. At the same time, His Excellency offered a handsome reward for any information which would lead to the arrest and conviction of the authors of the dis- graceful placards. These steps had a very salutary effect and no more placards were issued here.
About the middle of May, the drought which was thought to have been responsible for the plague, broke with a vengeance. Twenty-three inches of rain fell in a short period, and the population fervently hoped that it would kill the plague. But they were disappointed. Mortality in cases of plague increased. The exodus of panic-stricken Chinese was also on the increase. Hongs are being emptied of their clerks; chair-coolies by the hundred deserted their employers without warning, and many domestic servants applied for the amount of their wages then due to enable then to go to Canton, or to join their families on the mainland. No less than 300 men left the China Sugar Factory one morning, and crossing over to Kowloon, started to walk to Swatow, a distance of 180 miles.
At this time, the admissions to the hospitals were .67, 70 and sometimes 80 a day, and the deaths in hospital
and the dead bodies collected outside were on one occasion 109 in 24 hours.
When matters were at their worst, the Governor received information that the literati, who were doubtless in a measure responsible for the dissemination of the disgusting state- ments respecting the medical men in this Colony, had recommenced operations in Canton.. It was currently stated that if any portion of Taipingshan was burnt down, as had been suggested, an attack would be made upon the British consulate at Canton and numerous defamatory placards involving not only the medical profession, but the "Red-haired Barbarian" general ly were being posted in that city.
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