Hong Kong Public Libraries - “Keeping up with the Times: Mapping the Development of Hong Kong’s Healthcare Services through the Archives” Subject Talks

Date:	2022/11/12 (Saturday)
Time:	2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Venue:	Hong Kong Central Library (Lecture Theatre)
Description:	In 1936, Lady Southorn (wife of Sir Thomas Southorn, the then Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong) rightly captured the roles of Chinese nurses in her speech at the graduation ceremony of Nurses of TWGHs, said, “Not only in Hong Kong but in the vast country of China is there scope for the good nurse to be a blessing to suffering humanity. Countless poor mothers and babies alone demand their skill and the ministration of their own countrywomen who know their language and persuade them to abandon their unwholesome superstitions must be an invaluable asset to the poor of China.” This public lecture will describe and discuss the early history of the Kwong Wah Hospital Nursing School. Doing so might fill up parts of the gap in our understanding of the training school while we might also shed light on the roles of its nurses in the development of medicine in Hong Kong up to 1945.

Date:	2022/10/8 (Saturday)
Time:	2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Venue:	Hong Kong Central Library (Lecture Theatre)
Description:	After the Second World War, Hong Kong was plagued by tuberculosis. It was not only a healthcare problem, but also a social issue in post-war Hong Kong. To effectively control the spread of tuberculosis, the Hong Kong government had to address social problems and issues about people's livelihood. Yet, as the government lacked administrative resources after the war, welfare organisations in the city were responsible for providing free treatment for those infected with tuberculosis. In addition, with the help of the World Health Organization and the United Nations, the Hong Kong government introduced the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for the prevention of tuberculosis and successfully reduced infections among infants. As Hong Kong’s economy and living conditions improved, tuberculosis infections gradually decreased and the disease came under control. This talk will discuss tuberculosis prevention and treatment in Hong Kong after the war, and analyse how social and economic changes, along with discoveries in healthcare technology, affected the treatment of tuberculosis in the city.

Date:	2022/9/3 (Saturday)
Time:	2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Venue:	Hong Kong Central Library (Lecture Theatre)
Description:	Since ancient times, the smooth birth of a baby has never been taken for granted. For more than a century, Kwong Wah Hospital, under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, has provided labour and delivery services to Hong Kong women. In 1934, the government amended the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, requiring all birthing facilities to keep complete records of infants born. This means fortunately for us, the records of Kwong Wah Hospital’s labour ward since 1935 have been well preserved. In 2017, Kwong Wah Hospital transferred its labour ward records from 1935 to 1991 to the TWGHs Records and Heritage Office for permanent preservation and research purposes. Referring to records from different time periods, the speaker will compare childbearing among women over the years.

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