recat, 20
(THE public rarely hears about the inside work of the Lester]
chinese Hospital, nor the condition of sqme of the patients with whom it has to deal.
Tt does not, for instance, know that many of the beggar class are brought to the hospital in a dying condition, clothed only with thin rags, and some with a covering of vermin thicker than their clothes, 'The mortality rate' among this type of patient is naturally very high, according to the annual report of the hospital, in which it is stated that this type of case was one of the outstanding featu: ares of the emergency service during the early part of last year. increase of over 42: per cent, over Cholera, formerly one of the most the previous year, he number" of dreaded of the many dangerous dis-babies bork wae 24. teases to which the Shanghai popula-'The clini division of the Henry lon is subject, i no longer, the scourge of the summer months that It Kas Conlinued is pecial Sesare "continued" i. tpeial used to be. The results of concen work, and under Dr. Garden Theme" trated attention to the, prevention of Yor: head of the unit Dr. Platt and this disease In the Shanghai area Gray "tavestigation of apecal have, during the past few years, been forms of discase goes on unceasingly. distinctly amazing, "But Shinghal cannot afford to sit down and spend there 18. constant ce-operation be- 224, tween this unit and the hospital, and Ite time In Keeping its, anti-cholera laurels fresh and green", the report {Cle productive of much of valle to continues, "our public health depart-with regard to the resident staff, ments are Kop! very fully occupied the superintendent, Dr. Paterson, con fall through the year, and yet there tracted typhus fever carly last year, }2—New Moon faro Urgent needs that they cannot] and returned home for " few months cal with for Ick of money and to recuperate, His place was taken by Dr. Donald Farquharson, who 'The outpatient clinics throughout} carried' out the administrative' duties the city have to deal with a large the hospital In addition to his own amount of preventable minor ineapwork: foltating diseases, due to Insects as Women's Auxillary gents of infection. Seables was the The formation of an auxiliary by cause of a great deal of trouble, from a number of Chinese and foreign minor irritation to large Ulcers. women, fiends of the hospital, was. More could be done for the public 2 source of great satisfaction to the in this matter by a couple of dozen hospital, The auxiliary hed keen and of Intelligent trained coolles than by; capable officers, and also energetic. couple of hundred doctors, provided members on general sub-committees. that they had the necessary " pre-Generous gitts bad come from the mises, appliances, and medicaments, auxiliary of much-needed garments and books for the patients, Help had.
Relapsing Fever been volunteered for the occupational Last year saw quite a considerable therapy work, and many plans were epidemic relapsing fever, a disease on f00k. The hospital hope that other carried by the louse, This disease Women would join in the work, practically endemic now In Shanghai, Chinese women who are good at trid violent outbursts are to be ex handwork, with a fow hours to spare pected unless something can be done daytime, being specially Yo cheek the carriers, Typhus, form~ needed.
valy head again in i036. This rare im this area, bap roed "The business manager of the hot pital reports that the outstanding again a disease borne by the body Feature of the administrative depart-Touse, "Diseases such os these mani~ ment of the hospital during the year fest. themselves amongst the poorer had been the increasing interest and and more Igriorant classes, but they spread from them to others.
"The Lester Hospital, has been re~ ferring cases of beri-ber! to th finical unit of the Henry Lester I the future. The committee, Gtitute of Medical Research In the through ste various sub-committees, hospital, where Dr. Platt is carrying was becoming intimately acquainted on an investigation Into the disease, with the hospital's operations and The district suffered during the Objectives, ud had shown a most past year from an epidemic of severe sympathetic readiness to understand manila. This seems to have been and tackle hospital problems. nereasing considerably during the "In the latter half of the year, 2 past few years, special sub-committee was set up to enquire into matters of internal o:~ The hospital's outpatient depart-Yanlzallon and management with, ment has been very busy all through View to effecting economy and greater the year, although there has been emcleney. One outcome of this com-fa slight diminution in the rush for mittee's deliberations bad been the its services, Nearly 60 per cent, of evolving of a costing system, whereby these cares came. from the Inter~ [twas hoped: that figures might bE ational Settlement, 16 per cent. from extracted which would give the com~ the French Concession, 13 per cent. mittee and the hospital's executive for Nantao, and eight per cent. from officers Information of greater value Chapel. for supervision than had been pos-'During the early part of 1996 the sible through the working account. most outstanding feature' of the has It'ls hoped that other large hospitals pitas emergency service was the in China will eventually adopt similar humber of destitute and starving men systems, and furnish reliable inform. and women brought In by' the police Hon upon which comparisons might fond others. "Phe condition of many based, and by which some co-Of these poor people", the report operation' in administrative matters lates, "almost defies description in might be secured. decent language", The weather was very cold, money was very scarce, More Fees tro street charity: was reduced to a 'A glance, at the reports of the minimum, and large numbers were wandering hopefully into Shanghai larger mission hospitals in China would seem to show that the Lester S247 from outside areas. Many were in 1 dying condition, and were found in Hospital was lagging behind in matters. of self-support, Tt was satis fleys where they had attempted to Shelter from the wind, with thin rags factory to note, however, that, 1031 showed an increase from patients' covering their bodles, and some with fees of more than $10,000 over 1995. 2 covering of vermin thicker than Patients admitted as entirely tree their clothes, The mortality rate was cates were 10.6 per cent. of the total, naturally very high. This year has while "those from whom a deposit shown @ considerable decrease Vehleular accidents, while attempted ould reasonably be expected totalled 97 per cent. 'There was growing re-Suleldes fell for short of the "peak' cognition that medical. treatment in year, 1935, but were very far from hospital was something: for which Being rare, Opium was used in 744 fof these eases, which showed that it the patient should pay to the best of, his. ability. was not too dimeult to obtain the It is recognized that we have come, rug even yet. a hospital, to a crucial point in X-Ray Department our history when policies must be Feviewed and possibly revised in the The call for economy had a distinct light of changing conditions in Shang- a" effect on the X-ray department dur-hal and China", the business manager ing the past year, redueing the num-concludes, "perhaps it 1s our good bor of patients of whom radiographs fortune that the problems of the past were taken.—Notwithstanding this, year have brought this one main the department was kept very busy Question into focus, and we, asa throughout the year. This was one Staff, welcome the' return of Dr. of the departments which had on Paterson in thinking and working out ceeasion to supply a 24-hour service, the course this hospital should take". for there were eases not infrequently which had to be radiographed Sevesat houses built In the Sung mediately, even in the middle of the: Dynasty were excavated in Hsuchow-night, 'The pharmacy' department fu on April 29 by workmen engaged prepared on an average six hundred river conservancy work. A num-r.eferiptions a day. ber of broken pieces of porcelain The maternity wards have been kept going almost at full pressure ere found in the "houses, Tt was leved that the houses were throughout the year, and the hospital flooded and buried in the Yellow had 243 mothers during that period, River floods during the Sung Dynasty."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.