The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-16
m A CHINESE HOSPITAL.
How Medical Science Is Practiced la the
IInwery Kingdom.

nese hospital being very different from
that Of a European one In the carry
1avs Of the colony the Chinese inbabi-
tants used commonly to thrust ont their
sick and diving INFO the street. there 10
nerisb To remedy so scandalOus "A state
Of things the government offered to pro-
vide hospital fox the exclusive use OF
the Chinese community, and this offer
they accepted. with the proviso that It
should be under their own management.
: suitable binding was accordingly
erected and handed over Ia Il Chinese
committee in 1861. The medical staff
are all Chinese. and their practice, | was
informed, is quite uninfuenced by Euro
pean science.
The hospital is a large two story build
ing. wi.h verandas. and 1t contains large,
airy wards Of the usual character. Each
ward. however. is divided by incomplete
wooden partitions into eight cells, in each
of which il accommodation for two pa
tents. who thus enjoy certain degree
Of privacy. Tire Chinese have vet To
learn the paramount importance III a
hospital of cleanliness and good ventila-
ton. TIE beds consisted OF boards rest
ing on trestles, and covered by grass
mat, with bamboo pillow, and by each
was an earthen pipkin containing medi.
cire. Many of the sick were smoking
some tobacco, more of them opium. We
heard that in cases which were consld-
cred hopeless patients were allowed to
smoke opium al lib: if So the percent
age of hopeless cases must have been
high. Judging from the number %
patients who gaZed ut Us with
laekluster eyes and listle,s expression.
The other patients nodded pleasantly
to us. and the present of a cigar or cigar
cite evoked numherless Chin -chns. -
The wards themselves were fairly clean.
but the patients as rule were dirty, and
among the surgical c;ses we observed
many with undrcs ed. unwashCd wounds.
and other evidence of neglect. In the
women 5 quarter we came upon group
of some thirty or forty young girls.
many Of them really pretty. whose merry
laughter and the VigOr with winch they
piled their chop sticks. empiying bowls
Of rice, fish, etc. suggested that they
could not be patients Wo Learn d tlat
they were kidnapped girls, mostly from
the mainland, who had been rescued by
the police and were lodged at the hospital
until claimed by their friends.
The dispensary was the place OF Great
est interest. perhaps IL was most neatly
and methodicaily arranged, and the staff
were hard at work making Up prc-crip-
tions. Round the walls were numbcrIess
drawers. mostly containing drlei plants,
shredded roots, minerals. etc; also, yes-
sells filed with bones. huge. nauscus
looking boluses, as hg as plums, etc.
Among the bones some fragments Of
tigers frame were shown Us Is a great
treasure---their use being to "ma6ec
trong," as the dispenser explained rs
each prescription was read portions OF
various roots, leaves, etc, were weighed
out, wrapped up In brown paper, aud
marked with u brush. In an adjoining
room we saw the rest Of the process.
Each packet OF drugs was placed IN an
earthen pipkin, with water and set to
simmer on a charcoal fire. and the re-
sulting decoction was sent TO the patient
in the pipkin in which it had been made.
We then glanced 1t the smallpox pa
tents, each of whom was isolated in
large, dark stone cell. Vaccination is
little practiced by the Chinese, and con-
sequently smallpox is very prevalent
But the committee of the hospital have
organized staff Of vaccinatOrs, who are
doing good work.
We found Il few mnatics confined in
strongly barred, padded cells. clean but
dark few Of the patients had chains
on, but the majority were free. Our
final visit was TO the out patient depart
ment, where we found a very portly and
CHEEKY native physician, who greeted us
courteously and showed us his imple-
ments, etc, consisting Of pitch plastcrs.
His last patient, a wien faced, vOlublo
old woman, was Just going away but
she turned back and showed n, sore
leg with q plaster on il. Evidently She
was improving. for, pointing 10 her doc
tor, She exclaimed He number one
piece, and then, her English being 100
scanty to give expression 70 her graft
tude, she proceeded to sound his praises
in her own language, somewhat to the
old gentleman's embarrassment, though
ne smiled and nodded pleasantly At her.
After CHANGING in at a somewhat tawdry
joss house we departed.
On our way back we visited the Alice
Memorial hospital new institution
with a European medical staff. We were
told that it was founded by Chinese
gentleman who had studied medicino,in
England, and found on his return that
his countrymen were too prolud.col 10
afford him any scope for his western
science. The wards were clean and well
ordered and full of patients. Already Il
has drawn a good many patients away
from the Tung Wa. st. James Gazette
Phrases the Girls Must Ischcw.