Sessional_Paper_1895 — Page 519

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swings so readily is because she is so lightly built when compared with the Victor Emanuel and Meeanee, which being heavier swing more slowly. I would suggest as a preventive of future serious loss that a small stern anchor be provided which would limit the arc through which she swings and which would only be used when the weather became bad. The danger would then be that a semi- competent Chinaman would either forget to look out for the change of wind in a typhoon or, if seeing it, take no notice of it. It strikes me that an intelligent European with a handy stern anchor and a few Chinese to assist would have been able to do a great deal towards lessening the damage caused by the gale. Perhaps the Honourable the Harbour Master might give his opinion on this proposal.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient, humble Servant,

JAMES A. Lowson,

Acting Superintendent, Government Civil Hospital, and Medical Officer in charge of Epidemic Hospitals.

Dr. PH. B. C. AYRES, C.M.G.,

Colonial Surgeon.

Enclosure 2.

Report from the Medical Officer in charge of Gaol Hospital.

GAOL HOSPITAL, HONGKONG, 19th March, 1895.

SIR,---I have the honour to forward the report and the following statistical tables of the work done last year :-

Table IX.--K. shows the admissions and mortality; Table XIa.-M. the cases that were admitted at the first medical examination; Table X.--N. the cases that were treated without being received into Hospital. The rate of sickness and mortality is given in Table XI.-0; the number of percent- age of prisoners admitted at first medical examination in Table XIb.--L; that of opium-smokers admitted into Hospital in Table XI.-P.; the weight of the opium-smokers for the first four weeks' confinement in Table XI.-Q.

2. I regret that I was unable to furnish this report sooner. Formerly all these tables were printed first in the Gaol, but for the past two years, the number of prisoners engaged in the printing room has been reduced and much of the work that used to be done there has been discontinued in consequence. We have now to depend entirely on the Government Printers who, although most willing, have been lately very busy with various reports.

3. The admissions into Hospital amounted to 271 men including 26 Europeans, being one less than in the preceding year.

The commonest diseases were as usual fever and anæmia. Eight Chinese had erysipelas, but of a very mild type with the exception of one that resulted in a deep abscess of left fore-arm. There were also two cases of carbuncle.

4. At the first medical examination 70 men were received into Hospital, 41 were put on observa- tion, including 15 men sent by the Magistrates for certificate as to their mental condition. Seven were found to be suffering from derangement of mind, one had epilepsy and another locomotor ataxy.

5. The number of prisoners that were treated without being admitted into Hospital was 614, comprising a man who had a small carbuncle on his right shoulder and 19 women that were attended at the Female Prison. The total greatly exceeds that of the previous year. There was a noticeable increase of scabies and of men suffering from the effects of flogging.

6. Five Chinese male prisoners succumbed from the following causes :-anæmia and pulmonary congestion, consequent on cirrhosis of liver and kidneys; from remittent fever and congestion of lungs ; from pulmonary phthisis and dysentery, and two from chronic pneumonic phthisis. All these men with the exception of the one who died of remittent fever and pleuritic effusion, and who was an old offender, never did the work to which they had been sentenced, some being put to light labour and shortly afterwards to reduced task, while others did no work at all. One, an ex-convict, was kept in Hospital while on remaind, another who had returned from banishment was admitted on the very day in which he was sentenced. One Indian was executed by order of the Supreme Court, and two Chinese committed suicide by hanging themselves in their cells. One of them had been in Gaol before.

7. With regard to leprosy, 7 Chinese who were sentenced for mendicancy, one as rogue and vagabond, and another for unlawful possession, were found to be affected with that disease. Four of the mendicants declared that they were residing in Chinese Kowloon and one near Canton. They had in their pockets prescriptions signed by a European doctor. It appears that two had been before in Hongkong and were sent away by the Police, but managed to return again. If a dispensary had been