Annual Meeting: Sir Peter Grain Deals with Tnstitution's History Possibly the largest number of persons ever to attend an annual meeting of the Lester Chinese Hosital (formerly the Shantung Road hospital) gathered on June 10 when the "85th annual meeting (the first to held in the fine new premises in Shantung Road made sible through the magnificent jogacy of the late Mr. Henry Lester) was held, After the subscribers and guests had made an_ inspection of the new building, refreshments were served, Tu the course of his address, Sir Peter Grain, who presided, said:—'This meeting should really be report of our activities and stewardship for the year 1981, but I cannot help feeling that our' thoughts are far more concentrated to-day on the new building in which we are now Roused than on last year's work and T therefore take this opportunity of welcoming you all to our first annual meeting in our new hospital building.
I will interest you fo know that it is just exactly 70 years. since the hospital itself was transferred to the old buildings which, previously existed on this very site, as, the hospital "buildings were completed and. patients moved in just before Christmas 1861, The report which before you is the oth annual report of this hospital.
Just a few words to show how fate has placed as here may not be" inappropriate. The. "hospital must be one of, if not the oldest institution in Shanghai. The port of Shanghai was thrown open to foreign trade in the autumn of 1848 "end, amongst the few for-feigners who landed, was Dr. Lock-hurt, a member of the London Missionary Society, and_ the inception of the medical work of "this hospital was originally due to his work and efforts, n February, 1644, just 88 years ego, he open the first, foreign hospital in the Yangtze Valley, in a rented house, in a suburb just outside the south to of the native city of Shanghai.
ho. vancees. of -his work and. the popularity of the hospital were Aasured from the start, so much so that very shortly afterwards. the original premises outside the south rate were found to be both inadegumie and inconvenient, The, fist Inanelal support of about $200 a year came from the, then, recently founded Medical Missionary Society in Canton; but, realising the portance, of the work, the cal British community soon stepped forward, and, by voluntary subscriptions, bought a piece of and to the north of "the native city, in what was then, open country., This land, measuring 68 mow, and costing $40 a mow was situated to the west of where we now are and' it "was registered as British Consular Lot No. 62.
Even in those carly days, this hospital had' friendly neigh: hours in the London 0 onery Society, who owned B.C, Lot! No. 61, which lay to the east of our "original property. This Tot lay alongside the main road from the Shanghai native city to Soochow? in the very early days of the Settlement being known as Temple" Road, end later by. its resent name of Shantung Road, it was on this for of land B. C. Lot No, 62; that a suitable building was erected in July, 1846, and it w Known as "The' Chinese Hospital the cost being again met by Voluntary subscriptions amounting to $2,28147, raised by the loc foreign community. On Decemb 8 of the same year, at a publ meeting under" the chairman ship, of Mr. Rutherford Alcock, then His Majesty's Consul, the property was vested in a body' of British trustees, whose successors have ever since held it and administered the hospital on behalf of the subscribers, and thus our hospital from the' very beginning has really belonged to and been carried on by the Shanghai community, interesting to note the British character of this hospital, Tt was London Missionary. Society who Jnitiated it. Tt was. supported for years by the British community, the Grustees are British, and our recent magnificent endowment was given by a British gentleman, Mr. Henry Inthe course of work, outgrow the buildings, of thp fact that for some years from 1849{onwards a clinic was carried on twice a week in the native city Hteelf near the public tea. gardens. Histiry also tells us that these years were: critical ones for the whole of this part of China, the country suffering from famine and, want, Jargely due to the Taiping Rebellion, ut our hospital work was carried lon. without cessation, rice kitchens being run at the hospital for the absolutely poor and indigent.
Ju 1861 our property on Lot No. [62 was sold, together with the buildings thereon and a new hospital was erected on a portion of Lot No. 61 Jon Temple Road, to which I have already referred. Our present building, therefore, stands on the actual ide of the building which. was erected in 1861, and, as I have said before, we moved in just before Christmas 70 years ago. It is recorded that 12 years later plans and estimates for a new building were Prepared by Mr. Henry Lester, a young architect' lately out. from homer In July, 1874, a building for '70 in-patients was formally opened, accommodation also being" provided for out-patient work. And. it. is that very building which has been jour home, until pulled down in 1929, though, of course, there had been off many" alterations and additions thereof, The chief addition was a fine red brick building set pare for the treatment of women and chi ren which was opened in January, 1007, this extension of our work be-made possible through a. be-[quest of $10,000 from the late Mrs.
1928, Mr. Henry Lester, who had! been for many years deeply interested. in the hospital, bequeathed taels and it is this made the present building possible.
From the commencement, of the ]work in 1844 until 1866, the hospital was under the charge of doctors feonnected with the London Missiontary Society, the chief amongst whom was Dr. Lockhart, who was charge until 1857, From 1866 until 1904 it was under the supervision of community doctors, who jearried out the extra work entailed at no emall expense of time and Jonergy. Prominent amongst these latter was Dr. Neil Macleod and his partners, Drs. Milles, Marsh and.
marshall, all of whom from 1885 to 1904 gave magnificent aid to the institution. In 1914, the demands of the work made it necessary to have whole-time superintendent and Dr. Davenport, of the London Missionary Society, was appointed, and ever since that date until the present time we have been working in the mort friendly ce-operation with the London Missionary Society, especially as regards the provision of our Sir Peter referred to the working of the hospital during the year outlined in' the printed report and ent on to say: The continuance of our hospital work resulted in a ott Toss. on the year's working of no less than Tis, 56,496.83, and this ras in spite of the handsome endowment left to us by Mr, Lester. The past few Years in. oer temporary building have been abnormal and the trustees have felt that, in view of its past splendid record, the hospital had. to" continue its work for. the benefit of the community without interruption, "In our temporary Accommodation, most of our pation's Wwere poor, with the result that the Fees received for work done were! very small Indeed." At the san: e ime, Wo must all' realise that our food, medicines, ete., have to be paid' for and the trustees and committee have, therefore, authorised the "expenditure. of rather more money. than, they might otherwise have done. This problem of the cost of the continuance of the work has Thad and ts continuing to receive the most careful consideration of the iustees and, now that we are back again in permanent quarters, the future of our work must be conduct-on thoroughly businesslike lines.
therefore "earnestly enjoin all friends of the hospital to continue their support which they have given in the past and, although the trustees do. not wish to be. pessimistic, the. Shanghai community must warned now that our future work est depend on the amount committees begging for financial help, and we are so often being asked to put our hands in our pockets. But I feel you all here to-day "must realise What a splendid institution th hospital is, and I know so well the great "generosity of, the British, jinese and other communities Shanghai, and, therefore, hope that those who have helped us in the past and espe ily our Chinese friends, will continue to do. so and make all endeavour to get, their friends and acquaintances to join in helping the splendid work which this hospital is carrying out, Dr. H. G. Earle, of the Lester Institute, was then introduced the chairman who stressed the value of the ce-operation between the:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.