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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN: --I am sure your question, Mr. Lee, arose out of a letter written by Mr. T. P. Mok which appeared in the local paper on the 4th July. I can't do better than read out my reply which appeared in the same paper on 6th July.
"Sir, Your correspondent T. P. Mok in to-day's issue (4.7.59) has alleged shortcomings on the part of the life-saving staff at Repulse Bay in the application of artificial respiration to a boy who died as the result of an accident while swimming.
Urban Services Beach Staff are taught the latest methods in artificial respiration and are required to pass comprehensive tests of the Royal Life Saving Society, which is the only authorized examining body. I should therefore appreciate further details from Mr. Mok. Perhaps you would be so good as to request him to get in touch with me personally at his earliest convenience on the 12th floor of the Central Government Offices (West Wing), Tel: 95347.
As reported to me, the sequence of events in this particular incident are as follows:-
The boy dived off the end of the nullah wall into shallow water and it is believed that he struck his head on the bottom. Sometime elapsed before his companions raised the alarm, whereupon Urban Services lifeguards recovered the unconscious boy. Artificial respiration was applied for forty minutes and an ambulance called. A medical practitioner who happened to be in the vicinity gave an injection of coramine from the first aid supplies kept on the beach. Unfortunately these measures proved unavailing."
I would like to suggest that the department should arrange a life saving and artificial respiration demonstration to members of the Council and the press, and Mr. T. P. Mok, at the convenience of members of this Council. This will include the Schafer method, which superseded the Howard, Hall and Silvester methods about 1897, the Nielsen method which was recommended by the Royal Life Saving Society in 1952 and a combination of the Schafer and Nielsen methods to be used in serious cases. Also the Riley Rocker, a rocking stretcher, which can easily be operated by one person. As regards the combination of the Schafer and Nielsen methods which is the one we normally use I would like to ask Dr. Moore to quote a passage from medical encyclopaedia.
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DR. MOORE: This is an extract from an article written by Dr. F. C. Eve in the British Encyclopaedia of Medical Practice:
"Schafer's method starts badly: if one lies down on the floor inspiration will be found difficult because expansion of the ribs and descent of the diaphragm are both obstructed by pressure on the floor. Hence in 1935, Drinker improved Schafer's inspiration by adopting Nielsen's upward pull on the arms.
In 1943 I suggested that the ribs should be lifted off the floor in this way and in 1945 urged my "diaphragm release" method by which the epigastrium was also released from the pressure of the floor. Harper tested the ventilations of 100 students at Manchester produced by these two methods. The increased ventilation by releasing the ribs was 25 per cent and by releasing the ribs plus diaphragm it was 50 per cent."
I understand that the method employed here is substantially the Nielsen modification of the Schafer method.
DR. LEE:-May I ask a supplementary question? When the red flag is hoisted has this Council powers under its by-laws to prosecute any bathers?
CHAIRMAN:-This Council has no such powers. In the following question I shall be dealing more thoroughly with that aspect.
DR. BELL:—A supplementary question to Mr. R. C. Lee's question. Are you satisfied that the telephone communication for hospital assistance and ambulance assistance is sufficient in each beach, in addition to your life saving methods?
CHAIRMAN:-I think I am right in saying that there is a telephone at each beach now. Recently one has been installed at Turtle Cove. The only beach which has not got a direct telephone is Big Wave Bay,
DR. BELL:--Most of the telephones I have seen are a good distance away and there may be a difficulty getting ambulance attendance. There seems to be a time lag. Do you think that there is a possibility of improvement?
CHAIRMAN: ---Apart from South Bay where the telephone is on the road, all the telephones are on the beach.
MR. WATSON-Arising out of the answers to the methods of respiration, is there not a new method of mouth to mouth respiration that I understand is better than either of the previous methods?
CHAIRMAN :-I would rather not answer that. It is a very old method and is normally used in the resuscitation of small infants.
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Page 52 of 107
88
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN: --I am sure your question, Mr. Lee, arose out of a letter written by Mr. T. P. Mok which appeared in the local paper on the 4th July. I can't do better than read out my reply which appeared in the same paper on 6th July.
"Sir, Your correspondent T. P. Mok in to-day's issue (4.7.59) has alleged shortcomings on the part of the life-saving staff at Repulse Bay in the application of artificial respiration to a boy who died as the result of an accident while swimming.
Urban Services Beach Staff are taught the latest methods in artificial respiration and are required to pass compre- hensive tests of the Royal Life Saving Society, which is the only authorized examining body. I should there- fore appreciate further details from Mr. Mok. Perhaps you would be so good as to request him to get in touch with me personally at his carliest convenience on the 12th floor of the Central Government Offices (West Wing), Tel: 95347.
As reported to me, the sequence of events in this particular
incident are as follows:-
The boy dived off the end of the nullah wall into shallow water and it is believed that he struck his head on the bottom. Sometime elapsed before his companions raised the alarm, where- upon Urban Services lifeguards recovered the unconscious boy. Artificial respiration was applied for forty minutes and an ambulance called. A medical practitioner who happened to be in the vicinity gave an injection of cora- mine from the first aid supplies kept on the beach. Unfortunately these measures proved unavailing."
I would like to suggest that the department should arrange a life saving and artificial respiration demonstration to members of the Council and the press, and Mr. T. P. Mok, at the convenience of members of this Council. This will include the Schafer method, which superseded the Howard, Hall and Silvester methods about 1897, the Nielsen method which was recommended by the Royal Life Saving Society in 1952 and a combination of the Schafer and Nielsen methods to be used in serious cases. Also the Riley Rocker, a rocking stretcher, which can easily be operated by one person. As regards the combina- tion of the Schafer and Nielsen methods which is the one we normally use I would like to ask Dr. Moore to quote a passage from medical encyclopaedia.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
89
DR. MOORE: This is an extract from an article written by Dr. F. C. Eve in the British Encyclopaedia of Medical Practice:
"Schafer's method starts badly: if one lies down on the floor inspiration will be found difficult because expansion of the ribs and descent of the diaphragm are both obstructed by pressure on the floor. Hence in 1935, Drinker improved Schafer's inspiration by adopting Nielsen's upward pull on the
arms.
In 1943 I suggested that the ribs should be lifted off the floor in this way and in 1945 urged my "diaphragm release" method by which the epigastrium was also released from the pressure of the floor. Harper tested the ventilations of 100 students at Manchester produced by these two methods. The increased ventilation by releasing the ribs was 25 per cent and by releasing the ribs plus diaphragm it was 50 per cent."
I understand that the method employed here is substantially the Neilsen modification of the Schafer method.
DR. LEE:-May I ask a supplementary question? When the red flag is hoisted has this Council powers under its by-laws to prosecute any bathers?
CHAIRMAN:-This Council has no such powers. In the following question I shall be dealing more thoroughly with that aspect.
DR. BELL:—A supplementary question to Mr. R. C. Lee's question. Are you satisfied that the telephone communication for hospital assistance and ambulance assistance is sufficient in each beach, in addition to your life saving methods?
CHAIRMAN:-I think I am right in saying that there is a telephone at each beach now. Recently one has been installed at Turtle Cove. The only beach which has not got a direct telephone is Big Wave Bay,
DR. BELL :---Most of the telephones I have seen are a good distance away and there may be a difficulty getting ambulance attendance. There seems to be a time lag. Do you think that there is a possibility of improvement?
CHAIRMAN: ---Apart from South Bay where the telephone is on the road, all the telephones are on the beach.
MR. WATSON-Arising out of the answers to the methods of respiration, is there not a new method of mouth to mouth respiration that I understand is better than either of the previous methods?
CHAIRMAN :-I would rather not answer that. It is a very old method and is normally used in the resuscitation of small infants.
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