Bubonic plague. : Memorandum on the treatment of patients in their own homes and in local hospitals / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.

  • Hong Kong.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Bubonic plague. : Memorandum on the treatment of patients in their own homes and in local hospitals / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    the necessary measures. I emphasised the necessity of personal cleanliness and the destruction of vermin in their houses, and undertook that, if they would ^ive timely notice of sickness, they could be attended by either European or Chinese doctors, whichever they elected, at their own houses. To enable them to clean their houses and themselves I proposed to erect tanks for boiling water and J eyes’s fluid into which their (bed hoards and most of their simple furniture could be dipped, and to supply wash-houses in which both sexes could have a supply of hot water for washing purposes. To carry out these proposals I asked the people to form a Kai-fong, ur ‘committee who would assist by their supervision. The Kai-fong is a Chinese institu- tion in every Chinese town, each street or /ward having its Kai-fong formed of men of consideration among the inhabi- tants. Fifteen people at once came forward, to whom five were added on taking over the further block of houses comprising the north ^idie of Second Street and south side of Third Street, a month later, at the earnest request of the inhabitants. The list .of the Kai-fong given in the report of Inspector Gidley shows the class of the leading inhalbdtants of these streets. I may say that I am entirely satisfied with the work done by them. They disseminated my views as to cleansing operations, and assisted by their ipersonal efforts in seeing that they were carried out. They reported cases of sickness, and at every visit to the district all who were not away at their work were ready to accompany me and show mo what had been done. 11. By the 20th April, the six houses selected were prepared as wash-houses—four for men and two for women—and three large tanks were erected of the dimensions given by Inspector Gidley to enable the bed boards and furniture to be immersed in boiling water. To exercise a supervision over all the opera- tions I obtained the services of this Inspector who had in the epidemic of 1894 done excellent service, who speaks Cantonese like a native, and who enjoys the confidence of the Chinese. I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which he has done the work for which he so readily volunteered, and without him there would have been great difficulty in cariying out the experiment. Mr. Fung Wa Chtin took a very active interest in the work. He accompanied me several times to the district and inspected the hospital, and he gave directions to a Chinese doctor of the Tung Wa Hospital to visit the district three times daily in case his services shoitld be required. Doctors Atkin- son and Pearse also visited the district and examine<l>the cases then under treatment by Chinese doctors, while, on ihe 9th May a Chinese gentleman, Mr. Ho Kom Tung, wrote to Inspector Gidley enclosing two hundred dollars with the request that the money should be used to succour the families reduced to straitened circumstances by the death from plague of those on whom they were dependent. The houses required for bath- houses were evacuated without a murmur The immediate