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PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
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The principal part of the group comes within the range of the typhoons, and violent storms are of frequent occurrence during the so-called rainy season. The islands are also the centre of great volcanic action. "The destructive ravages and changes produced by earthquakes," says Sir John Bowring, writing in 1859, "are nowhere more remarkable than in the Philippines. They have overturned mountains, they have filled up valleys, they have desolated extensive plains; they have opened passages from the sea to the interior, and from the lake into the sea. There are inany traditional stories of these territorial revolutions, but of late disasters the records are trustworthy. That of 1796 was sadly calamitous. In 1824 many churches in Manila were destroyed, together with the principal bridge, the barracks, great numbers of private houses; and a chasm opened of nearly four miles in length. The inhabitants all fled into the fields, and six vessels in the port were wrecked. The number of victims was never ascertained. In 1828, during another earthquake, the vibration of the lamps was found to describe an arc of four and a half feet; the huge corner stones of the principal gate of the city were displaced; the great bells were set ringing. It lasted between two and three minutes, rent the walls of several churches and other buildings, but was not accompanied by subterranean noises, as is usually the case." In 1832, 1852, 1863, 1869), and 1880 there were terrible shocks of earthquake, and, in 1891, in the Province of Pangasinan, shocks were continually repeated during a month, shaking down buildings, crushing their inmates, and creating a panic among the inhabitants. The most noteworthy volcanoes are Buheyan in Mindanao, Taal in Batangas, and Bulusan and Mayon in Albay. The last is in continual eruption and at times creates terror in the surrounding country on account of the quantity of boiling water, ashes, and lava it throws out. In 1872 an eruption of this volcano destroyed entirely the villages of Malinao, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao, Polangui, and Albay.
The land area of the Philippines is covered largely with forests. The rest is made up of cultivated land, grass and open land, and mangrove swamps. The rivers are generally small and short, but the Cagayan River, the largest in Luzon, drains one-fourth of the island. The Ágno and Pampanga Rivers, two other important rivers. in Luzon, and the Agusan and Cotabato Rivers, in Mindanao, are also of consider- able size. There are a few lakes in the Philippines and most of them are small Laguna de Bay and Lake Taal, in Luzon, and the beautiful Lake Lanao, in Mindanao, being the most important.
CLIMATE AND HEALTH
The climate of the Philippines is among the best in the tropics. Generally speak- ing, it is agreeably warm with cool nights and pleasant late afternoons and early mornings, although there are some places in the Islands where it cannot strictly be so described. December, January, February and March are very nearly ideal. Even during the months of April and May many parts of the islands, especially Manila, enjoy a cool breeze. The rest of the year is inclined to be rainy. During the rainy season inundations of rivers are frequent, and travelling in the interior is at times. interrupted. Droughts, however, sometimes occur, which seriously impair crops. The year is divided into three seasons-the wet, the dry-cool and the dry-hot. The wet season lasts from the middle of June to the middle of November, the dry-cool season from the middle of November to the middle of February, and the dry-hot season from the middle of February to the middle of June. These seasonal periods, however, cannot be applied to all parts of the Philippines, for some parts are affected by different ocean currents which modify climatic conditions therein.
The variety of climate in the Philippines is beneficial to the health of the inhabi- tants. The death-rate for every one thousand whites in Manila for 1917 was eight and eight-tenths, as compared with sixteen and five-tenths for New York, fifteen for San Francisco, and fourteen for Chicago. Ideal health-resorts are found in many of the highlands of the Philippines, like Antipolo in Rizal, Lucban and Sariaya in Tayabas, Taal in Batangas, Silang and Indang in Cavite, Bukidnon and lands around Lake Lanao in Mindanao, and the plateaus of Baguio, approximately 5,000 feet above sea- level and about 175 miles from Manila. Medical reports speak highly of Baguio as a health resort, and of the medicinal waters of Sibul Springs and Los Baños.
The Philippine Health Service is the Governinent branch in charge of enforcing measures and promulgating rules and regulation for the promotion and protection of public health and for the maintenance of general sanitary conditions. Its jurisdiction extends to all the cities, towns and barrios of the Islands. Due to its work, there has been noticeable general health improvement all over the archipelago during the past
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