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Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Dr. J. C Thomson, Dr. J. McL. Gibson, Capt. JB. Arbuthnot, M.V.O, (A.D:C. to His Excellency), and Messrs. Mol. Messer, B. B. Harker (archite.t of the hospital), A. Bumjahn, Tung Lau Kuk (chair man of the Tang Wa Hospital), Fung We Chun, Lau Chu Pak Pan Chi Wan, Li Su Ting, Tang Pan Sang, Young Wan Kui, Yeung Pui Ban, Chan Chih Wan, and other represent tative Chinese gentlemen.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[June 15, 1903.
Last week, it had fallen to 123, and let us hope that this week we will find that the fall will continue. There were, I believe, only 13 cas-s yesterday. In that case we may look to the end of the epidemic I hope by the end of July. It is necessary bat we should hav the relief that can be given by these wards, and no institution has been opened at a more opportune moment than this one. I have nothing more to say except to obey the request to declare this hospital open, which I do with every good wish that in the future it may fully carry out the beneficent use for which it has been designed. (Applause.)
flis Excellency then opened the door of the hospital, which is now ready for the reception and treatment of patients. Success to the institution was afterwards toasted.
how we could bring these means within the it for this year. I have a number of statistics power of every householder and every tenant soshowing the state of the epidemic since the 7th that they could be fairly carried out, thus of February, and the figures are interesting assisting us to secure the safety of the showing as they do a steady decrease in the per- people. Well, gentlemen, I have nothing contage of deaths. I have taken periods of to complain of. I had Second and Third four weeks from that date when about 12 Streets handed over to me by permission c.ses occurred. In the first four weeks, 100 of the Sanitary Board, because I asked per cent. of those attacked died, that is, them to let me have the worst and poorest every human being who contracted the disease district in the town, and I found that the people, diet; in the next four weeks there were 92 Addressing His Excellency, Mr. Lau Ca once they understood what was required, came cases and 94 per cent. died; in the third PAK said-Your Excellency, In the name and forward at once. They are cleaning their four weeks, there were 221 cases and 91 per cent. on behalf of the directors of the Tang Wa houses and taking advantage of the opportnui- died In the last four weeks, th re were 446 Hospital, I have great pleasure in requ sting ties given them to wash themselves and to wash cases, and 87 per cent. died. Last week, there you to declare open this plague hospital, which their clothing and to bil their bad-hoards. were 123 cases and of these 84 per cent. died; is to be conducted as a branch of the existing You are aware that within a short time it has so you see there has been a steady diminution in Tang Wa Hospital. Its with special satisfact, been discovered that the plaga: bacillus xists the virulence of the disease. Within the last tion that I do this in view of the circumstance in fowls and might possibly exist in fowls sold three weeks ending May 16th, there were 117 that it was your Excellency who laid the founda in the markets, and consequently I have been cases and in the next week there were 186 cases tion-stone of this building on 18th November impressing upon the people the desirability of 1901, which was designed by Mr. Harker, and also thoroughly cooking their food, and the danger illustrated in the Academy of Architecture, vol. 22. of eating ha'f-cooked food. To you who are It has, for a period of many years, been the ambi present, it is hardly necessary for me to say tion of the Chinese community to possess a build this, but I am speaking to other people outside ing such as this where Chinese cases of infec ious who may possibly read what I am now saying. disease may be treated by Chinese physicians. hare seen people of the poorer classes Daring previous epidemics, temporary hospital having their meals in the early morning, have been in use for this purpose, but it has, and they had not cooked the interior portions throughout, been looked forward to, that a perof the chickens, or at least properly cooked manent Chinese Infections Diseases Hospital them. We have there a would be erected. Accordingly, after your Ex
possible means of the propagation of plague independent cellency's arrival in the Colony, these proposals of dirt or darkness. No doubt, if houses were submitted to you, and your hearty sympathy are prope ly constructed, if we could secure with the scheme has secured the fulfilment of the blessings of a Lot overcrowded city those desires and aspirations| The funds for and enab e the people to live in such surround- the erection and the equipment of the instituings and with such an amount of sunlight and tion have been subscribed by the Chinese and European communities, and I have no doubt that the amount necessary for its maintenance, year by year, will be a willingly subscribed. It is proposed, as I have already indicated, that this institution sha! ba carried ou as a branch and extension of the existing Tung Wa Hos pital and on precisely similar lines, all the patients admitted being given the option of treatment by Chinese Tor Western methods. As is unfortunately too apparent, the buildings here are not quite complete, but your Excel lency has been good enough to consent to a proposal that for the time being, the kitchen, laundry and mortuary of the Government Hos pital, adjoining this, may be used conjointly by the two institutions and thus these buildings may take their share in meeting the present emergency created by the prevalence of plague in the Colony Before another epidemic season comes I hope at the whole of our p oposals for this Hospital may be rounded off and com. pleted. The urgency of the present situation has made it impossible for the Dir.ctors to arrange as they should have liked to for the opening ceremony. must, therefore, ask your Excellency to use a very ordinary iron key to open the hospital. The Directors will later op forward to you as a memento of this inter stiu occasion the key which ought to have bee ready for your Excellency's use to-day. With these few words, your Excellency, I have much pleasure, in the name of and on behalf of the Tang Wa Hospital, to request you to declare this building open. (Applause.)
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air as will enable them to resist the attacks of diseare, then we may hope for a very great diminution in this plague epidemic. But we must remember that in seeking for the cause of the epidemic we are always likely to seize upon one or two salient points, and
to forget that there are other doors by
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Nor,
foundation. others who
BACTERIOLOGICAL DEPART- MENT IN 1902.
The report of D. W. Hunter, Government Bacteriologist, for 1902 is published in the Gazette. We make the following extracts :— 27th February, 1902.
I arrived in the Colony from London on te As there was no
accommodatiou.
A serious drawback to the immediate com mencement of my duties was occasioned by the loss, through shipwreck, of the wh le of my bacteriological apparatus shortly after it had left london. The Crown Agents for the Colonies were instructed to re-order the ap paratus with the least possible delay, but notwithstanding all their efforts, the whole of the apparatus for the equipment of a Bacterio- logical Laboratory did not arrive in Hongkong until thend of June, 1902, that is to say, about four months after my arrival in the Colony.
which the disease my enter, and which it is equally necessary for us to close by proper pre. cautions if we can use them. I found on having examined insects in these honses by Dr Hunter, Bacteriological Laboratory in the Colony, and especially in Sheung Pu lase, which I was
no suitable place for the immediate establish- obliged to clear out on account of the number of ment of such. the Principal Civil Medical cases, that these insects, bugs and spiders, which
Officer proposed that I should be allowed to were sent to Dr. Hunter, had the plague bacil-establish, temporarily, a Laboratory in the lus in them. I have myself written a notice Kennedy Town Infections Diseases Hospital which I have sent to the Registrar-General's This suggestion I glad y availed myself office to be printed in Chinese, bringing these of, and with the assistance of Dr. Thomson, the simple facts before the people, and impressing I was able to obtain part of the office and Medical Officer in charge of that Institution, upon them the absolute necessity of cleansing their houses and boiling their bed-boards to get dispensary of the Hospital for laboratory rid of these bugs and spiders, which are potent means of spreading plague. gentlemen, I know the difficulties which have faced you in building this fine hospital, and in looking back over the time that has elapsed since I laid the stone I remember, among all deserve credit for this excellent work--and
is one whose name you will agree with me there are many whom I could name--that there stands out very prominently, and that is Mr. Fung Wa Chua, whose persistence and energy and untiring determination to push forward the Lospital have had a great deal to do with the HIS EXCELLENCY Said Mr. Lau Cha fact that it is to-day ready for relieving the Tak and gentlemen, I have come here, very congestion at Kennedytown aud that the readily, and with great pleasure, to assist you in Chinese people are in the proud position of the opening of this most necessary addition to being able to bosst that they have in addition to the Tang Wa Hospital for it is not one day the Tang Wa hospital, this fine oneia Kennedy.gical nature, e.g., the examination of cases of too soon that this opening has taken place. I town. I do not like to say anything as to the plague and cholera. I commenced my duties at have just been round the whole of the adjoining future, but from the motion passed by the the Mortuary on the 26th March, 1902. hospital and I find there that the wards are Sanitary Board the other day, we may hope to every one of them fully occupied. I earnestly have local hospitals in various parts of the city hope that these wards may only be necessary hefore next year, in the event of another out- for the purpose of relieving what is undoubtedly break of plagae. This matter was agitated for a congestion in the other hospital at present, and that the numbers in the two hospitals may not be increased in the immediate future. I take an epportunity such as this as a mea is possibly of conveying observations to the public that are not easily conveyed otherwise. As some of you are aware, assisted by Mr. Fung Wa Chua and other gentlemen and heartily assisted by the medical officers, not alone the Civil Medical Officer, Dr. Atkinson, but also Dr. Pearse, I have been personally conducting a very interesting experiment for the last three months. That experiment was really for the purpose of seeing how far we could possibly get the Chinese people of the city to themselves adopt the necessary means of sanitation, and
BULK
some three years ago, and arguments against it were put forward by people, who possibly did not closely study the question, I hey considered that they would assist in the spread of the disease. Local bospitals have been tried in India, and have not been found to spread disease. I have tried a little local hospital in Third Street and I found that the people unfortuna tely stricken with plague, istead of being killed by terror at the loog journey to Kennedy: town, have cheerfully gone into the local hospital. Some have recovered, some have died, but we have no evidence that the hospital has had the effect of spreading the plague in its vicinity. It is a foolish thing to prophesy, but hope and believe we have passed the worst of
In the mouth of March the Principal Civil Medical Officer requested that the work at the Government Public Mortuary should be under
taken by me. To this proposal Iglally assented,
as much of the work there was of a bacteriolo
Immediately on commencing my duties at the Public Mortuary, a regular system of post mortem and bacteriological examinations on rats was instituted. The services of four Japanese medical men were obtained in May for this paticular work, and all rats found dead or alive in the Colony were regularly examin:d for plague by these gentlemen, who worked under my direction.
On the 13th of October, 1902, these Japanese doctors returned to Japan and the services three qualified Chinese doctors were obtained Accordingly on the 14th of October, 19:32, Dra. Kwong, each of whom had been trained in the Ho Ko Taun, Lee Yin Sze, and Chan Fai
Hongkong College of Medicine for Chinese, commenced their duties 18 assistants in Ko Tsun was appointed Laboratory Assistant the Bacteriological Department. Dr. Ho his duties being mainly to assist me with
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