Sessional_Paper_1896 — Page 717

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THE PRESIDENT-As is well known the Chinese have objections to being treated by a Western doctor, but do you undersand that notwithstanding this objection it might be necessary in the interests of the public health to obtain reliable information as to the cause of death ?—So far as I am concerned I have no objection; it remains with the public to say whether they agree to the Government proposals.

Mr. WHITEHEAD-What effect do you think it would have upon the Chinese community?-So far as I have heard, they would object; I have heard objections on every hand.

Mr. THOMSON-Objections to a doctor trained in Western medicine or to the returns?—Yes; the Tung Wa doctors have reported every day.

THE PRESIDENT-It is not a question of reporting; it is a question of correct reports ?-We say ours are correct reports.

Mr. THOMSON-The Government cannot place reliance upon the report of a Chinese doctor.-Well, if that is so let the Government put a man there.

Mr. WHITEHEAD-How would the Chinese view the appointment of a European medical doctor in the Hospital ?-That would never do.

Why? The thing is this: it is a purely Chinese hospital. It has been organised and conducted for these last twenty-five years as a Chinese hospital, and it was established for the Chinese at the beginning.

The Government would not force this European doctor upon the patients; he would be there and the patients would have the opportunity of availing themselves of his services if they wished to do so.-There are plenty of Chinese going to the Alice Memorial Hospital now? We never stop them from going to foreign hospitals if they wish, but whenever a man comes to the Tung Wa Hospital it shows that he wishes to be treated by Chinese. If we admit a doctor trained in Western medicine it will be no longer a purely Chinese hospital; it will be a hospital where patients are treated in both ways, Chinese and Western. I do not see why a man should be treated by Chinese methods and then seen by a European doctor.

Would there be so much objection to the appointment of a Chinese trained in Western medicine ?—It would be just the same, because he is not treating the patients in Chinese fashion.

Have not patients been found in the Tung Wa Hospital who were anxious to be treated by European doctors ?—There was never such a case in my time.

Do you know that since your time there have been some who wished to be treated by a European doctor ?—No; if we want to send them to the Government Civil Hospital, they will not go.

Supposing a patient was suffering from a severe fracture of his arm or leg, and that his life might be saved by his arm or leg being amputated, there is no surgical know- ledge amongst the Chinese doctors which would enable them to perform the amputation. Would the Committee of the Tung Wa Hospital prefer to see a man die rather than have a portion of his leg or his arm amputated ?—I know Chinese doctors have no knowledge of Western surgery, but any Chinese fracture or wound that has come to the Hospital has always been put all right without any amputation. I sprained my leg once, and the doctor gave me a poultice and I was cured.

But if a bone were broken ?They patch it up very quickly without breaking. It is very curious, but they use herbs. One of JARDINE MATHESON'S men fell down three storeys and fractured one of his legs. There were only one or two foreign doctors here at the time, but the man refused to be treated by them, and he went over to Macao, was treated by a Chinese doctor, and came back here cured and was able to carry water up