Government
YEAR.
Civil. Hospital.
Admissions.
Deaths.
396
Admissions to Hospital for Malaria.
Admissions.
Tung Wa
Case-mortal-
Totals.
Hospital.
ity per cent.
Deaths.
Admissions.
Deaths.
'Govt. Civil
Hospital.
"M ZOBL
Hospital.
1897,
450
10
191
1895,
344
571
521 122 865 126
1,021
197
1899,
475
5
305
58 780
63
1900,
679
4
541
159 1,220
163
ོལུ ུ་ྲ
1.3
33.4
1.2 23.4
1.0 19.0
Average admissions
1,036. Average deaths 136.
0.6
29.4
1901,
787
10 507
122 |1,294
132
1.3 24.1
1902,
349
9. 403
119 752
128
2.6
29,5
1933,
347
N
221
61
568
63
0.6
27.6
1904,
221
2 212
56
433
58
0.9 26.4
Average admissions 531. Average deaths 81.
1905,
266
6 153
48
419
51
2.2 31.4
1906,
233
7
248
96 481 103
3.0 38.7
One remarkable feature which is brought out by this Table is the discrepancy between the case-mortality in the two Hospitals. The Tung Wa Hospital is a purely Chinese institution, maintained by voluntary contributions. and supervised only by a Government medical officer. The reason however for the high case-mortality at this Hospital does not lie altogether in the treatment of the patients, but in the fact that the Hospital is regarded by the Chinese more as a "home for the dying " than as an institution for the treatment of the sick. Consequently, the great majority of the cases of Malaria that are admitted thereto are in a moribund condition, and so near to death that even the hypodermic administration of Quinine is of no avail. Could we educate the Chinese to seek medical aid on the first onset of the symptoms of Fever, and could we at the same time educate the many Chinese herbalists and native doctors who ply their calling in this Colony, in the efficacy of Quinine, many lives would undoubtedly be saved which are now sacrificed to ignorance and indifference.
The figures showing Police Admissions to Hospital are even more striking than the foregoing, for these admissions have fallen from an average of 32 per cent. of the strength for the five years 1897-1901 to an average of 13 per cent. of the strength for the past five years, and to an average of 10 per cent. of the strength during the past three years.
It must, however, be borne in mind that during the first years of the occupation of the New Territories (April, 1899 to December, 1901), Malaria was extremely pervalent among the Police stationed there. Since 1902 the disease has been much less frequent due partly to the more regular use of Quinine as a prophylactic.
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