676
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 25TH JULY, 1896.
22 persons other than Chinese have contracted the disease during the current year. Their nationalities were as follows:-
Europeans, Indians,
6
.15
(including Mrs. JOSEPH and her family reported in my despatch No. 87 of 16th April, 1896).
Siamese,
1
Amongst the Europeans two Sisters of Charity from the Italian Convent have died, having contracted the disease from a case which occurred in that Con- vent. The third case was a Master Mariner named JAMES ERNEST CLOUD, living at a marine boarding-house, who, it is believed, contracted the disease on board a Chinese launch running between Hongkong and Kowloon. He, also, I regret to say, succumbed to the attack. The other cases were those of two children of Warder GIDLEY of the Victoria Gaol, one of whom died and the other recovered, and of an Austrian in the employ of Messrs. SANDER & Co. who is still under treatment at, the. Government Civil Hospital and is progressing favourably towards. convalescence. The Siamese died, and of the fifteen Indians six died, four recovered and five are still under treatment.
18. Early in March it was deemed advisable, in view of the possibility of the disease assuming an epidemic form, to procure extra medical assistance, and by the courtesy of Admiral HOFFMANN, I was fortunate enough to be able to secure the services of Dr. WILM of the Imperial German Navy, whose eminent attainments as a bacteriologist and intimate acquaintance with this particular disease, which he had previously studied here as well as under Professor KocH in Berlin, render him a most valuable acquisition to the Government medical staff. He arrived here from Japan on the 14th March, since which time he has been actively engaged in treating patients at the Kennedy Town hospital.
19. With regard to the origin of the plague there seems no doubt that it may be classed as a filth disease. It is confined chiefly to the poorer classes of the Chinese, whose dirty and insanitary habits foster its progress. The ordinary Chinaman of the poorer class in this Colony seldom thinks of cleaning his house, and the heaps of dirt and rubbish which the house-cleansing parties removes from one small floor of a house causes the spectator to wonder where the occupant can find room for himself.
Many of the houses are, moreover, so situated and constructed as to afford ap utterly inadequate supply of light and ventilation and the position is aggravated by the high rents which prevail in this Colony and which encourage overcrowding. The housing of the working classes in Hongkong is an important question the consideration of which should be no longer delayed. I accordingly propose shortly to appoint a Commission to enquire into and report on
this matter.
20. It is also a noteworthy fact that the outbreak of the present year, as in In 1894 the rainfall com- 1894, was preceded by a prolonged scarcity of water. menced exceptionally late, and not until the supply of water in the reservoirs was nearly exhausted, while in 1895 the amount of rain which fell was so abnormally smail (45.84 inches instead of the usual 90 inches) that it was necessary, in order to husband the supply until the rains of 1896, to place the Colony on a limited supply throughout the dry season of 1895-1896. On the other hand it must not be forgotten that the rainfall of 1891, when it did at last come, was accom- panied by a sudden and very great increase in the number of cases of plague, doubtless because the wet weather drove the Chinese within doors and increased the overcrowding in their houses. The rains this year began early and there is now no scarcity of water in the Colony.
21. With regard to the financial aspect of the situation I will address a further communication to you at a later date. In the meantime I will content myself with remarking that, although the measures which I have described neces-