Sessional_Paper_1895 — Page 597

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THE PRESIDENT.-I had an impression the Chinese had a dislike of European doctors?

Dr. Lowson. In one way that is so; but once you gain their confidence they will come to you. The dislike to European doctors during the plague was solely due to outside influences. When Chinese patients were taken to Kennedytown they did not want to leave. They were frightened by their friends who told them they would get their heads or other things cut off.

THE PRESIDENT.-You could get as many out-patients as you wished if you had time to attend to them?

Dr. Lowson.-Yes; and in-patients too. They are only too glad to come in and get kept for a week. We have to send them away. I think that question-in the list of questions--is out of place altogether.

Mr. MCCONACHIE.-It certainly led us to believe that there was some cause why the Civil Hospital was not popular amongst the Chinese, and we wanted to find out what it was.

Mr. THURBURN.-An educated Chinaman, Mr. WEI YUK, told me that the Chi- nese were under the impression that they could not go to the Civil Hospital for attend-

ance.

Dr. Lowson.-I believe a great many do not know. But after we perform a simple eye operation there is sure to be a great many applications the next few days.

Dr. PRESTON. So that the Civil Hospital is popular? Do you think you should have more accommodation?

Dr. Lowson. So far as I have heard, I believe Dr. WHARRY, the previous Super- intendent, discouraged the Chinese from coming there, and, I suppose, quite rightly. He was alone; and he was not going to encourage the Chinese to come in and keep him at work all day long. But you will see from the out-patients book that we have them in large numbers-3,000 last year, or something like 20 or 30 a day.

THE PRESIDENT.-Are they seen every day?

Dr. Lowson.-Yes; in odd moments,

THE PRESIDENT.-If you had a third man at the Civil Hospital, who would attend to the out-patients?

Dr. Lowson. If Dr. ATKINSON were here we could make an hour in the afternoon to attend to them.

THE PRESIDENT.-But if you had three men on your staff?

Dr. Lowson. We don't require the third man at present at the Hospital,-two are quite enough to do the work of the Hospital and to take the out-patients as well, unless they increase tremendously. At present, we fix Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for seeing out-patients, leaving the other days free for operative work.

Mr. THURBURN.-Perhaps it would be as well to advertise in the Chinese papers that the Chinese may go to the Civil Hospital?

Dr. Lowson. If the Government want to fill up the place well and good; but that is the difficulty. We could fill it up now. But we receive only a certain amount of money, and we have to use our judgment in taking in paltry cases which can be as well treated as an out-patients as if it were in the Hospital. I think the best thing would be to allow the thing to work its own way. If you are doing good work it will become known. West of the Civil Hospital, it is well known and we have a lot of patients from that district. Besides, I have been under the impression that the Hos- pital was for the use of Europeans and Government servants as well,