It was during the Hong Kong plague epidemic of 1894 that Alexandre Yersin (1863 – 1943) discovered the plague bacillus, isolating it from excised buboes (the swellings which characterised bubonic plague). Twenty years earlier, according to the Colonial surgeon, Dr Philip Ayers, there had been no hospital in Hong Kong worthy of the name and the sanitary condition of the colony needed serious  reform. He wrote many reports in an effort to improve this situation, but as an impetus to sanitary reform, he commented: "What all my reports could not do the [plague] epidemic has done." When Ayers had been serving with the Colonial Service in Mauritius, he had witnessed the fever epidemic of 1867 – 68, during which deaths sometimes exceeded 600 people daily and he felt the Hong Kong plague epidemic of 1894 was almost as terrible. At Dr Ayers' instigation, a Civil Hospital was opened in 1889 with a nursing staff of trained nurses from the London Hospital. Eight of these nurses were recommended for a gold plague medal awarded by members of the Hong Kong community. Dr Ayers had originally recommended the nurses for the Royal Red Cross, but this was felt inappropriate.

Another medal recipient, Emma Gertrude Ireland (1857 – 1898), has a poignant life story. She entered the London Hospital School of Nursing in March 1886 at the age of 29, having previously worked at St. Pancras Infirmary. She became Sister in Blizard Ward [then a surgical ward at The London]  in 1888 and resigned to go to Hong Kong, (to take up a post as Sister), leaving in July 1890. Three months earlier, she was, apparently, the last person to see Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man) alive, when she came to see how he was on the morning of  Friday 11 April 1890. He was found dead by the ward maid who brought Merrick his lunch at 1.30pm the same day. Emma had been on duty in Cotton ward when Joseph Merrick was first admitted to the London in 1886. She died of bubonic plague in Hong Kong in May 1898.

Of the other medal recipients, Catherine McIntosh (b. 1864) trained at the London 1887-89, was appointed staff nurse in Coope Ward and resigned to take up the post of Sister in Hong Kong in 1890. Caroline Walker (b. 1866) trained the London 1889 – 91 and was then appointed a Sister in Hong Kong. Evelyn Palmer (b. 1866) trained at the London 1886-88, was Staff Nurse, Coope Ward and then two years  as Sister Queen Victoria Ward [a children's ward]. She resigned to go with her family to Japan and took up a post as Sister, Government Civil Hospital, Hong Kong in  1893.

Gertrude Annie Brooks (b. 1865) trained at the hospital 1889-91, having previously worked for 3 years at the Jessop Hospital, Sheffield, Yorkshire. She was appointed Staff Nurse on Redman Ward and resigned to become Sister at the Government Civil Hospital, Hong Kong on Miss Luckes' recommendation. Correspondence received by Miss Brooks in 1895 regarding her gold medal survives along with the medal itself, which was donated to the London Hospital in 1973 by Miss Brooks' daughter. It is currently part of the permanent exhibition in the Archives & Museum and is shown in the section relating to Eva Luckes and late 19^th century nursing. The medal itself was designed by F Boucher and was struck by Wyon of London: one side depicts a nurse and (?doctor) attending to a plague victim with a pestilential figure in the background, the date, 1894 and some Chinese wording: a translation of the Chinese letters is being sought.

Jonathan Evans Archivist Royal London Hospital