Sessional_Paper_1899 — Page 466

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The encoffining and burial of the Dead were under the supervision of two English soldiers, who were for the time being on the staff of the Sanitary Board. They also overlooked the disposal of excreta, &c., from the wards. The night-soil from the wards was mixed with sawdust, and destroyed by fire on an incinerator, which consisted of two parallel brick walls about 2 feet 6 inches high and six feet long, with a close grating of iron bars across the top, the ground surface between the walls being concreted.

The visits of friends of patients were carefully regulated and limited, and all such visitors were required to disinfect themselves after leaving the wards.

The total number of Admissions to the Branch Hospital was 224, of whom 222 came viâ the Tung Wah Hospital. Of these, 15. all male, proved after due observation not to be suffering from Plague, and were returned to the Tung Wah Hospital for treatment of their various conditions, or permitted to return to their homes.

Of the 209 cases of Plague (138 male and 71 female), 5 were transferred to the Government Plague Hospital, 3 were removed by their friends to Canton, 28 were discharged cured, and 173 died. This gives a death-rate of 82.8 per cent., as compared with the general rate among the Chinese of 89.6

per cent.

În addition, two dead bodies of Plague patients were received, and two premature births occurred in the Hospital.

76 had femoral buboes, 25 axillary, 24 inguinal, 8 cervical, 3 were of pneumonic type, and 73 had neither buboes nor pneumonic symptoms. No post-mortem examinations were possible, so that no information regarding internal glandular swellings was obtainable. Bacteriological examination was made of blood, &c. from doubtful cases.

None of the employés of the Hospital contracted Plague.

When the Branch Hospital was closed on 27th June, careful precautions were adopted to secure the efficient disinfection of such furnishings as could be returned to the Tung Wah Hospital, and such as could not be thoroughly disinfected were destroyed.

Bedboards were washed with Jeyes' Fluid and exposed to the sun, and were afterwards re-painted before being stored for future use. White clothing and blankets were soaked in Jeyes' Fluid, boiled, washed, and sent to the Public Disinfector for steam disinfection, after which they were removed direct to the Tung Wah Hospital. All other clothing and bedding, including the quilted cotton coverlets, quilted jackets, bedmats and pillows, with the beds, &c., used in the Mortuary, were destroyed by fire in my presence. All dishes and other vessels used in the wards were broken.

The matsheds and the incinerator were by direction of the Government left in sit, for future use should the occasion arise.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

I desire to acknowledge my sense of indebtedness to the late Directors of the Tung Wah Hospital, who have given the most courteous consideration and attention to every matter that I have found it necessary to bring under their notice, for their efforts to carry into effect my suggestions regarding the working of both the Tung Wah Hospital itself and the Branch Hospital.

Especially I would direct the attention of His Excellency the Governor to the work of Mr. FUNG WA CHUN whose influence has had much to do with the fact that the relations between the Government, the Tung Wah Directors, and the Chinese community during a very trying year have been so uniformly harmonious.

I append the following Tables :-

TABLES.

I. Showing the Admissions and Mortality in the Tung Wah Hospital during the year 1898, with the proportion of cases treated by European and Chinese methods respectively ;

II. Showing General Statistics relating to the Tang Wah Hospital during the year 1898; III. Showing Vaccinations in, and in connection with, the Tung Wah Hospital during the year 1898.

I have the honour to be,

Dr. J. M. ATKINSON,

Principal Civil Medical Officer,

$C.,

$c.,

&c.

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

JOHN C. THOMSON, M.D., M.A.,

Inspecting Medical Officer.