Medical history of Hong Kong. Part II: Healers in the maze: unravelling the myths of Kowloon Walled City practitioners

Benefiting from recent portrayals in drama and film, Kowloon Walled City has made a comeback in popular culture with a tinge of nostalgia.The reminiscence of old Hong Kong through one of the most densely populated areas in history nevertheless reminds us of the chaotic and mysterious image of the Walled City.The most representative scene of this disorder was perhaps its Tung Tau Tsuen Road façade, overcrowded with billboards for unregistered medical and dental clinics.Most unregistered doctors and dentists, like other parties involved in semi-legal or illegal activities, refrained from openly disclosing the particulars of their background or practice.Despite being one of the most conspicuous symbols of the Walled City, as they received limited attention from the colonial government, public understanding of these unregistered practitioners was largely based on imagination and rumour.Following the announcement of the demolition of Kowloon Walled City in 1987, 1 a pre-clearance survey was conducted to assist the colonial government in formulating the clearance plan, under which unregistered doctors and dentists were eventually compensated with a lump sum of HK$342 000. 2 The demographics of unregistered medical and dental practitioners were thus recorded in official documents, providing a more reliable account of their activities in the Walled City.Information collected from the survey and discussions within the colonial government offers a more substantiated view of the healthcare landscape in the Walled City and prompts a re-examination of some of the decades-old myths surrounding the unregistered practitioners.