Meeting of the Health Committee held on Thursday, July 18, 1922, _at 4.30 p.m., there are:
Medical Oficer.—A letter from the Shanghai Medical Society recommending the appointment of a Resident Medical Officer at the Isolation Hospital, with favourable comment by the Commissioner of Health, is submitted and considered. 4 In answer to a member's enquiry, the Commissioner states that the number of beds in the hospital is 127, but that at the moment, he is unable to state the average number of patients per day. As, however, only about one half are attended by the Assistant Health Officer, a member remarks that at present, there would be insufficient work for a highly paid Resident Medical Officer. Another member considers that the great objection ta the proposal is the difficulty that would be experienced in persuading people to go into the hospital, since the.majority of patients prefer their own doctor.
In the Committee's opinion, the time has not yet arrived when an appointment of this nature would fully justify the expenditure involved. Whilst sympathetic towards adoption of the proposal at a later date, members are unanimous in the view that consideration thereof should be deferred until tha Tsolation Hospital has been rebuilt, and a reply to the Shanghai Medical Society in the above sense is authorized.
Venereal Diseases.—In_ connexion with the letters received from the General Secretary to the National Council for Combating Vencreal Diseases concerning the steps taken to carry out the recommendations of the Commission which visited Shanghai during 1920, consideration is given to the recommendation. by the Commissioner of Public Health that, next year, a V. D. Officer be appointed who may be able to devote his whole time to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of venereal diseases.
The Committee is informed that Dr, Jordan who was appointed to undertake this work, has, since his arrival in Shanghai, been fully engaged on urgent work in the Laboratory, The Commissioner states that Dr. Jordan, among other qualifications, has some special experience in V.D. work; that when the post was advertised, only. one V.D. Officer applied therefor, who did not find the terms attractive enough to induce him to vacate the position he then held; and that the reason why he made the recommendation was because the Council was committed to the appointment of a V.D. Officer. In reply fo the Chairman, the Commissioner states ' ticable one. that the work consists of the supervision of venereal clinics in all hospitals. A member then remarks that, in view of the heavy expenditure involved, he fears the creation of an additional appointment \in the Department would not commend itself to the Council. With this view the other members concur, and, after some remarks, the recommendation in question is disapproved.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.