T
the requirements of the above localities. Before endorsing the proposed experiment, ver, they would be glad to have an imate of the approximate annual cost of Intenance of branch Post Offices near Bon- ham Strand and at Kowloon.
A
With reference to the proposal to open a branol at Wanchai, my Committee are in olined to think that this should be deferred until a trial has been made of the two first named branches.-I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX,
Secretary. To Hon. A. M. Thomson, Postmaster General.
General Post Office, Hongkong, 26th March, 1898. Sir-I have the honour to thank you for your letter of the 25th instant, and in reply to inform you that, as your Committee is not in a position to ascertain the requirements of the localities in question it is unnecessary to trouble them further in the matter.-I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
A. M. THOMSON, Postmaster General. The Secretary, Chamber of Commerce.
THE PLAGUE
The number of cases of plague reported dur ing the week ended 16th April was 97 and the number of deaths 92.
April 17...
The daily abstract for the present week is as follows:-
Cases. Deaths.
7 10 13 13 27 13 15 15 18 22
93
18...
19...
"
*
"
20 21..
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
A CHINESE HOSPITAL FOR PLAGUE PATIENTS TO BE OPENED.
April 23, 1898.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
them to a report written by the then President that sort to try and cram their western science of the Sanitary Board, Mr. Francis A. Cooper, down the throats of a population of a quarter on the 6th of May, 1895, in which he stated of a million who did not understand it, and that the Colonial Surgeon had made the who did not appreciate it. His object in necessary arrangements in respect of the treat- advocating the opening of a hospital not under ment of cases in the hospital at Kennedy Town. the management of the Chinese doctors, but They would notice that it was stated that the under the control of the Sanitary Board and Colonial Surgeon had made the necessary
under the medical supervision of the officers of arrangements-not the Sanitary Board. In the Board or of the officers of the medical de- his (the President's) report on the prevalencepartment, was that he felt convinced that they of the bubonic plague in the colony of Hong-would, if they opened such a hospital, get a kong during the years 1895 and 1896, on page large number of plague cases into it which were five they would see under the heading "distri- now slipping through their fingers. It was bution of work" the following:-The work prefectly obvious to anyone who had had in connection with the outbreak of the plague anything to do with the present epidemic was distributed, as follows:-The Sanitary Board that there were a very large number of dead undertook certain duties; the Medical Depart bodies being brought in every day of which ment undertook the care of the sick after their they knew nothing. During the epidemic of arrival in hospital, etc." They would notice he 1894 there was nothing like the proportion of said the "Medical Department," and not the dead bodies picked up as there had been this "Chinese quacks." In conclusion he asked the year, and the reason was that the sick came into the hospital and died there. He found Acting Secretary to read the requisition with
from Dr. Lowson's report of the plague of regard to the meeting.
1894 that though there were 2,500 bubonic plague patients brought into the Chinese hospital there were only 88 dead bodies brought in. Now dead bodies were being picked up at the rate of a dozen a day, and he ventured to say that considerably more than 50 per cent. of the cases which had come under the notice of the Board from the beginning of the epidemic had been dead cases. That was not a satis-
And it was also. factory state of affairs. well known to members of the Board that a large percentage of cases had drifted away to Kowloon and elsewhere. He sent the Medical Officer of Health a report only the previous day which showed that within a week some 20 cases had drifted out of the colony which never came under their notice. The President had made some remarks questioning the authority of the Board to interfere in the matter of medical treatment. He (Mr. May) said they had power under section 18 of the Bye-laws made under Ordinance 15 of 1894 to appoint a place where a person suffering from such disease should be removed,
ANIMATED DISCUSSION. On the 18th April a special meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held to consider the advisability of permitting a Chinese hospi- tal for the reception of plague patients to be opened under the supervision of the Sanitary Board. The chair was occupied by the Presid- ent (Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medi- cal Officer), and there were also present: the Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works), E. W. Brewin (Acting Re- gistrar-General), the Hon. F. H. May (Captain Superintendent of Police), Mr. N. J. Ede, Dr. F. Clark (Medical Officer of Health) and Mr. C Vivian Ladds (Colonial Veterinary Surgeon and Acting Secretary).
The PRESIDENT said that that meeting had been convened more especially at the request of the Captain Superintendent of Police to con- sider the question of the institution of a hospital managed by Chinese doctors.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE (interrupting)—You are not quite correct in saying "managed by Chinese doctors."
The PRESIDENT-You can correct me later Continuifig, he said that personally he did not think it was at all advisable that such an institution should be established or allowed in the colony. It was quite out of the province of the Sanitary Board to discuss this question at all, because it involved the medical control_of_the_sick. As far as he took it from the Bye-laws, all the Sanitary Board had to do was simply to provide for the removal to the Hygeia or other appointed place any person suffering from any in- festions disease, but the question of the medical treatment of patients in such a -hospital was a question which concerned the medical department. It is not clear from the Bye-laws that the Board has even the power
"perience" of *t a place. After the
ex-
the colony in 1894, especially in reference to the Glass Works Hospital and the Cattle Shed Hospital, this seemed so obvious, that in 1895, 1896, and 1897 the whole control of the medical treatment of those suffering from plague was, vested in the medical Hepartment, and to prove this he referred
The ACTING SECRETARY read the requisi- tion, which was signed by Messrs. May, Brewin, and Ede.
refer. The PRESIDENT said that with ence to the request to discuss confidentially the advisability of opening a Chinese plague hospi- tal, he thought it was out of order, because the rule said that all meetings of the Board, whe- ther in Committes of the whole or as a Board shall be public unless a motion is made to exclude stran- gers and carried by a majority of the members pre- sent. If that matter was to be considered con. fidentially, some member must make a motion that strangers be excluded.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE thought it was very desirable to have the sub. ject ventilated in public. He only asked for a confidential meeting because he knew the Pre- sident did not share his views, and he thought it would be better for the public to believe that they were unanimous on this point. He was not here in 1896, and therefore he could not com- ment on the measures taken then for the sup- pression of the bubonic plague. He was here in the year 1894. He had the honour of serving under one of the most able men who possibly could have been selected to combat the plague in this colony. He referred to Mr. Francis, Q.C., as chairman of the permanent committee of the Sanitary Board and the mem- bers who worked with him, one of whom was himself. They determined that they would construct their plague hospital according to the methods of western science. Before the epi- demic had lasted 12 days Mr. Francis came to the conclusion that they would be wise in autho- rising the institution of a hospital at which Chinese who might have a desire to be treated after Chinese methods could have their wishes gratified, and accordingly the permanent com- mittee authorised the institution of such a 'hospital, which was known as the Glass Works Hospital. The experience was that whereas the day before the opening of that hospital the number of plague cases which came to the no- tice of the permanent committee numbered, as far as his recollection went, about 25, no sooner was the Chinese hospital opened than the plague cases which came under their notice doubled- they became 50. Of course there was a good deal of comment in the colony about the justi- fication of the committee's action, and he was convinced that if the Board opened such a hospital their action would be justified by a similar result. He did not know that at the beginning the Glass Works Hospital was all that could be desired as regarded management, but they must remember that it was opened within a fortnight of the outbreak of a serious epidemic which was wholly unknown to the colony up to then, and in fact to the civilised world, and naturally it took some little time for things to be straightened up. All he could say was that when the hospital was removed to a more suitable building, to the slaughter-house, and brought. under the supervision of the medical department it was a very satisfactory hospital. He did not think anybody could find any fault with it in the matter of cleanliness or sanitary precautions. The treatment was another matter. Personally he did not see why a plague patient, if he liked to be treated by the methods he had been accustomed to from his youth, should not be so treated, and he must say he thought it an unwise thing in an epidemio of
The PRESIDENT-Will you read that section Mr. Secretary.
The ACTING SECRETARY read the section as follows-"The Sanitary Board by its officers may provide for the removal of and may remove to the Hygeia or other appointed place any person suffering from any such disease, and no removal shall take place except under the orders of such Board or of one of its officers, or of a legally qualified and registered medical practitioner, and then only in such a manner and with such precautions us the said body shall from time to time direct.. No such removal, however, shall take place if the Medical Officer of Health or any legally qualified and r gistered medical practitioner certifies that such person was being lodged and cared for without danger to the public health."
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLİCE contended that under that bye-law it was perfectly competent for the Board to appoint a Chinese hospital as a place where plague patients could be removed to.
At this point the PRESIDENT interrupted Mr. May with the remark, "That is the whole ques- tion; and what is to be understood by the term
'Chinese Hospital' in a British colony,"
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE -I say we may appoint any hospital we like- the Nethersole, the Tung Wah, or the Alice.
Mr. EDE-Any other appointed place we like, The-PRESIDENT-You could appoint the
Gaol then.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE -We could.
The PRESIDENT That would be reducing the thing to an absurdity.
The ACTING REGISTRAR-GENERAL objected to these interruptions.
The PRESIDENT-Excuse me, but the Pre- sident of the Board has power to speak.
The ACTING REGISTRAR-GENERAL--Or in- terrupt?
The PRESIDENT-I am not interrupting. The ACTING Registrar-GENERAL-Pardon me, sir,
The PRESIDENT (reading from the rules) — "It shall be the duty of the President to en- force these rules. When the President rises it shall be the duty of the member to resume his seat."
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