Sessional_Paper_1895 — Page 514

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10. There is still the pressing want of a good laundry for the Hospital. The complaints last year on the score of bad washing of clothes were as numerous as ever. The contract for the present year has been given to a Japanese washerman in the public laundry, but owing to his having to employ a lot of Chinamen I cannot say so far that the quality of the washing has improved.

HOSPITAL STAFF.

11. There has been little change in the permanent staff during the year. intendent of the Hospital, left for long leave in England on March 1st from of the year I acted as Superintendent.

Dr. ATKINSON, the Super- which date until the end

During the plague epidemic Dr. W. F. C. Lowson, Dr. J. F. MOLYNEUX, Surgeon PENNY, R.N., and Surgeon-Major JAMES assisted in the Hospital work as occasion demanded, in addition to getting through their ordinary plague duties. Surgeons MEADEN and BEARBLOCK, R.N., whose duty was mainly that of inspecting the junks, also rendered willing help on numerous emergencies when they were called on.

12. We were very fortunate in having our nursing staff reinforced on 9th May, just before our diffi- culties with the plague commenced, by the arrival from England of Miss BARKER (Sister ELIZABETH) and Miss PENRUDDOCKE (Sister MARGARET). I have already in my plague report given my opinion. as to the valuable services of all the Sisters during that trying time and would only here repeat that their services were of the greatest value during the year. There could only be one result of their hard work, viz., that they must suffer as far as health was concerned, and I regret to say that several of them have been occasionally off duty owing to sickness since the termination of the epidemic. We have been blamed once or twice for allowing them to do disagreeable plague work, but when it is remembered that no one else but our own staff would put their shoulders to the wheel it will be apparent that patients and dead bodies would have been accumulating by the scores in the hospitals and a state of affairs created which would have been anything but creditable to a British Colony. It was at this period that our Sisters had their chance, and how they took advantage of it is already well known by the community here. The Wardmasters, BRETT, GIDLEY and MCKILLOP, also worked hard. I am also glad to say that we have Chinese, with us in the Medical Department who can get through any amount of work that may be going about such as our clerks, dispensers and one or two of the head "boys.

A little fortiter in re treatment was occasionally required and by judiciously combining it with the suaviter in modo (in the shape of extra wages) we were enabled to retain most of our good workers during the summer.

WORK DONE DURING THE YEAR.

The usual tables are appended for reference-

I. Showing the admissions into and deaths in the Government Civil Hospital during each

month of the year, of the Police.

II. Showing the rate of sickness and mortality in the Police Force during the year.

III. Police return of admissions to Hospital from each district during the year.

V. General return of the sick treated in the Hospital.

Va. Surgical operations performed during the year.

Vb. Zymotic diseases, sub-group 1.

Vc.

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2.

Vd. Diagram showing number of cases of Malarial Fever occurring amongst the members

of the Police Force admitted in each month of the year.

Ve. Zymotic diseases, sub-group 3.

Vf. Va.

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VI. Showing the rate of mortality in the Government Civil Hospital during the last 10

years.

VII. Showing the admissions into and deaths in the Government Civil Hospital during each

month of the year.

VIIa. The aggregate monthly number of patients visited in the Hospital daily for the last

three years.

VIIb. Table of admissions into and deaths in the Lunatic Asylums during the year.

VIIc. Table of admissions into and deaths in the Small-pox Hospital and Epidemic Hulk

Hygeia during the year.

13. The number of in-patients admitted during the year was 1,963, an increase of 128 as compared with 1893; of the 1,963, 1,709 were males and 254 females. The number of deaths was 101, the death rate percentage being 5.14. During the previous year the death rate was 3.65 per cent. The increase is due to (1) plague deaths, (2) the search parties sending in all sick and moribund people on the off chance of their being plague, and (3) the number of serious accidents. The number of patients who died within twenty-four hours after admission was 23, whilst 17 more died within forty- eight hours.