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Enclosure 1.
Report from the Superintendent of the Civil Hospitul.
GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL,
HONGKONG, 21st March, 1886.
SIR,I have the honour to forward Statistical tables for 1885, with a report on the working of the Hospital during the past year.
2. I was absent for five months on sick leave, which will account for sundry deficiencies in the report.
3. Surgeon J. R. DonD of the Army Medical Staff was in charge of the Hospital from 28th April to 31st July, when he was ordered home. Dr. PIKE, A.M.S. then took charge, and when Dr. PIKE went on leave, September 20th, Dr. THOMPSON, A.M.S. relieved him.
4. All three surgeons found that they required regular assistance in carrying on the Hospital duties, and Dr. MARQUES was good enough to share the work with them.
5. The Colony was fortunate in obtaining the services of the Army Surgeons.
6. It is evident, however, that the Colonial Medical Staff is insufficient, since outside help must be sought whenever one of the Colonial Surgeons falls sick.
7. It has happened before now that the Navy and Army were shorthanded when applied to for assistance, and no private practitioner was available to stop a gap in the Civil service, and this may easily happen again.
8. The policy of trusting to chance for the maintenance of the Medical Staff is unsatisfactory in many ways, and it is by no means economical.
9. It is well known in the Audit Office that the Hospital expenses are considerably increased when the Establishment is temporarily placed in charge of a medical officer unconnected with the service, and it is probable that the Colony would actually save money by placing a second medical officer permanently on the Hospital Staff.
10. This is altogether apart from the question of the efficiency of the Hospital service, and the consideration whether the Establishment is doing the maximum of good in the Colony, or only a minimum.
11. At present its usefulness is very much restricted, because there is only one medical officer to do all the work, and with the best intentions one man cannot possibly accomplish all the Hospital work of a Colony like Hongkong.
12. Governor HENNESSY understood this, and appointed a second surgeon to the Hospital in 1880, but in 1883 Governor BowEN removed him, and since then the patients have had to be content with what I could do for them unaided.
13. If I happen to be out when an urgent case is brought to the Hospital, Dr. AYRES or Dr. MARQUES is sent for, and if neither can be found, the sick man must take his chance.
14. To give an idea of the position occupied in the Colony by the Civil Hospital I may enumerate the different classes of patients received.
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1. Police: Europeans, Indians and Chinese: and police servants.
la. Civil Servants and their families.
2. Officers and seamen of all nationalities from the Merchant shipping.
3. Officers and seamen from foreign Ships of War,
4. Employés, mostly European, of the Chinese Customs and Revenue services.
5.
Private Residents in Hongkong, and visitors passing through.
6. Destitute sick of all nationalities.
7.
Police cases: assaults, accidents and poisonings, &c.
8. Parturient women (Chinese.)
15. The Police Force consists of 614 men: 111 Europeans, 178 Indians, and 325 Chinese: (some of them with wives and families); and there are 52 station servants.
16. The Crews of the Chinese Junks which entered the Port in 1884 numbered 290,846 and
those of other vessels, British and foreign 140,583.
17. The Chinese passengers brought into the Port numbered 649,231: the European and coloured passengers are not recorded.
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