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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND and cleanse infected premises. The distance want of refinement. Such has too often else. | from Quarry Bay to Kennedytown Hospital where been alleged as the prerogative of the is seven miles, and there was little likeli- Unofficial, but locally it is customary to re- hood that a plague-smitten patient would verse the order of things. It would indeed survive such a journey by ambulance. The be interesting to know if rules of debate native patient's chances of recovery were prevail at the Board meetings, for it is not reduced to a minimum, and the average easy to recognise any. Practically, Dr. BELL Chinese workman was not slow to recognise provided no opposition to the point at issue, this. The Medical Authorities were utterly although his dictum on the scheme generally unable to cope with any severe outbreak of was allowed to influence the majority. Mr. plague in this district, inasmuch as even OSBORNE ably championed the cause of the now, as we pointed out yesterday, the medical applicants, but his arguments were weak staff of the colony is scandalously under- indeed compared with the unconscious manned. To remedy this state of affairs, testimony which the Acting Colonial as far as their many workmen were concern. Surgeon contributed. Dr. BELL, to ed, the applicants conceived the idea of use his own graphic statement, said: "Well erecting an isolated hospital on their own I am either a liar, or I am not. property for the treatment of natives only, I give you absolute facts. Five hundred which would serve the double purpose of Chinamen wanted to come in (to the Go- keeping their workmen from deserting and vernment Civil Hospital) last year and there allow the continuance of their industries, was no room for them.” Now, no one will and, at the same time, relieve the Medical accuse the worthy doctor of prevaricating, Authorities of a responsibility they had no but he obviously spoke under excitement, means of effectively fuilling. In this we and Ev'n ministers that hae been kenn'd take it the applicants did not pose as in holy rapture, a rousing whid, at times, philanthropists; they simply tackled the to vend, and nail't wi' Scripture."
If problem in a business-like way, naturally his figures are correct, they prove, first of pointing out the obvious advantages such all, that the Government Civil Hospital is a scheme would have to а medical ridiculously insufficient to meet the demands staff that was insufficent to cope with made upon it; and, secondly, assuming one health district, apart from a colony. that to be an actual representation, then they The applicants obtained permission to per- prove to the hilt the statement of the fect their scheme, and secured as a medical applicants as to the absolute necessity of officer a Chinese doctor, who is a duly their providing additional and independent qualified and registered local practitioner, hospital accommodation on their own and who was attached to a Government native rural property. The applicants will no plague hospital in 1894, and for several doubt gladly welcome Dr. BELL's testimony, years was House Surgeon at the Nethersole and on its strength appeal again to Hospital. The Sanitary Board, which has the Sanitary Board, or perhaps, as arrogated to itself certain but not very wiser course, to the Government direct. clearly defined responsibilities in the matter, We are inclined to doubt if under the Public declined to allow the matter to proceed Health Act the Sanitary Board bas unless the applicants provided for daily actually power to interfere with such a supervision of the hospital by an European hospital, providing a registered medical doctor. The applicants were quite agreeable practitioner will testify that the building is to Government supervision, but naturally isolated, well managed, aud of no danger declined to bear the cost of the same, They to the native community. submitted that, having proposed to build a hospital and provide a doctor, any supervision to secure that the hospital was properly run should be at least provided by the Board. The hospital would at all times be open to the inspection of the Board's officers, who could thoroughly satisfy themselves that all arrangements for the general working were in accordance with the Board's require ments. At the last meeting of the Sanitary Board it was decided by a majority of one not to accede to the request of the appli- cants. That decision WAE apparently arrived at because Mr. MAY said daily European medical supervision was necessary, This, as stated above, the applicants were quite willing to agree to, and were ready to welcome supervision by the Medical Officer of the Board. They never attempted to evade it and this, in our opinion, entitles them to the same treatment which is extended to the Chinese hospital Mr. MAY cited, which is worked with a staff of native doctors. We consider it the duty of the Sanitary Board to provide that supervision in the form of visitation. Therefore, dismiss ing Mr. MAY's objection as being beyond the point in dispute, the question resolved itself purely and simply into one of medical opposi- tion offered by Dr. BELL. In the gentle art of public speaking the Acting Colonial Surgeon is not an adept; it is really difficult to find in his remarks any reference to the resolution before the meeting. His power of declamation is more in evidence than is his logic, and his righteous professional indig nation naturally prevails over his judgment. It is curious how on the Sanitary Board the utterances of the Official Members are often characterised with an excess of vigour and a
THE INCREASE OF MEDICAL STAFF.
- (Daily Press, 11th July.) As will be seen from the telegraphic corre. spondence between the local Government and the Secretary of State for the Colonies before the Sanitary Board yesterday. Dr. J. M. ATKINSON, Principal Civil Medical Officer, is expected to be back in Hongkong about the 4th of next month, while an Assistant Medical Officer of Health, Dr. PEARSE, should have already left a week ago for this port. In addition to this, we learn that a bacteriologist will shortly be added to the medical staff of the colony. The satisfaction with which these announce wents will be received must be tempered by a regret at the tardiness of the steps taken. The first thing, presumably, to happen on the arrival of Doctors ATKINSON and PEARSE will be to give a well-earned holiday to some over-worked medical officials who have had to grapple unaided with the plague epidemic this year. As far as can he judged, and as is sincerely hoped, the epidemic is now ended, in spite of the slight rise in the figures during the twenty-four hours ending at noon yesterday, Dr. ATKINSON and
the loug needed Assistant Medical Officer of Health will arrive, therefore, too late to derive any benefit from this year's experience. The date of our Government's urgent telegram to the Secretary of State, it will be noted, was the 15th June, after the plague figures for eight successive weeks had been respec- tively 95, 98, 128, 122, 200, 215, 161, and '151 cases. There was obviously no precipi.
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[July 15, 1901, tation about the step taken. No one, we arc sure, grudges Dr. ATKINSON his holiday, but in a place like Hongkong, subject at present to regular visits of the worst scourge known to mankind, it is a grave scandal that the medical staff should be denuded of any of its numerical strength at the most dangerous period of the year. In very few other places, if any, in the world could such a state of affairs exist. Public servants require their holidays, no doubt, but in so important a branch of service as the medical department, it is obviously not safe to allow the numbers of the staff to diminish, unless it can be shown that this staff is more than sufficient to deal with the work which it is called upon to perform. This certainly can be said by no one of the present official medical staff of Hongkong.
PLAGUE ON THE “LAOS.”
(Daily Press, 11th July.) The outbreak of plague on the Messageries Maritimes steamship Laos is likely to cause no small sensation at Marseilles and in
Europe generally. The Laos left this port for France on the 3rd June. She arrived at her destination at the beginning of this week, having on board sixteen Arab stokers suffering from plague. Consequently the whole of the three hundred passengers and the crew have been quarantined. The local agents of the Messageries Company were unable to say whether these Arab stokers were on the Laos when she left Hongkong or whether they were taken on when the vessel reached the Suez Canal. Plague exists in Egypt at the present time, but the short- ness of the run between the Canal and · Marseilles does not give much time for the disease to have developed. On the other hand we have beard nothing of any plague cases on the earlier part of the Laos's journey. There is, of course, the third possibility that the men were shipped at some intermediate place. The guilt of Hongkong in the matter is at present open to question, and we trust that it will be disproved. The only consolation, in event of our responsibility being unfortunately shown, would be the powerful reminder which the home authorities would be given of the evil state of sanitary affairs in this colony.
THE CRISIS: TELEGRAMS,
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.]
SHANGHAI, 5th July, 7.39 p.m. Tsai, who lately held the post of Taotai at Shanghai, has been appointed Chinese Ministor to Japan.
SHANGHAI, 7th July, 7.50 p.m. Imperial Court will not go beyond Kaifeng- A secret Heianfu despatch states that the fu this year.
The French have notified the Chinese peace plenipotentiaries that it is intended to keen French troops as a permanent guard on the Peking-Paotingfu railway.
have ordered their Shanghai agents to ship nothing for the North, as the country is
The Chinese merchants at Newchung
too disturbed.
SHANGHAI, 8th July, 7.30 p.m.. A Peking despatch states that it is im- possible that Tung Fuhsiang is a rebel, as he is still a strong favourite with the Empress Dowager.
A terrible inundation in Kiangsi has caused the loss of 4,000 lives.
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