THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 22ND FEBRUARY, 1868. 57
case. Another Medical Officer, who, in 1863, more than endorsed the undermentioned opinions, is doubtful about the success of the Hongkong system when he comes to be examined before the committee.* In opposition to the evidence obtained by the committee I shall now record a few deliberate expressions of opinion on the part of officers fully qualified to express them- selves on the subject.
•
Deputy Inspector General Dr. Home, formerly Principal Military Medical Officer here, and who had experience of the Colony before the introduction of the Ordinance, as well as after, writes to me in February, 1863: "on behalf of the Army “Medical Officers stationed here, I have pleasure in expressing to you the great advantage we have derived from the excellent sanitary arrangements in force in regard to Prostitution. Venereal disease, from being but a few years ago one of the most common causes of unfitness for duty here, has now become of comparatively rare occurrence.”
The evidence of Dr. Bernard, Deputy Isspector General of Hospitals and Fleets, conveyed to me in a letter dated 27th January last, is even more satisfactory: he writes. "I am enabled to say that true Syphilis is now rarely contracted by our
in Hongkong."
men
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Table XI-Is an approximative estimate of the Mortality among Foreign Residents in Hongkong during the last ten years. The data from which it is compiled are furnished to me, so far as the number of Residents is concerned, by the Registrar General, and by the Sextons of the two cemeteries, so far as the deaths are concerned. This table does not embrace Soldiers, Sailors, whether employed in the Navy or the Merchant Service, or those who have been buried from the Hospitals. Table XIV, already referred to at the commencement of this Report, gives similar information, as far as it could be collected, from the year 1845 to the present date, by which it will appear that 1862 alone stood higher in the scale of salubrity than 1867. It must not, however, be forgotten, in drawing up statistical tables of the Health of this Colony, that the character of the population is by no means analogous to that of England, that there are comparatively few females and children among the Resident Foreigners, the two combined not equalling in number the adult males, that paupers are not numerous, and that, for the most part those suffering from chronic sickness are sent away from the Island, still I believe that after making every allowance, the result will compare favorably with that of any other settlement of similar extent situated on the verge of the Tropics.
Department.
Table XII-Gives the usual information regarding the work performed by the Inspectors of Nuisances attached to this
Table XIII-Shews the annual mean state of the atmosphere during the year 1867, as recorded at the Government Civil Hospital.
J. I. MURRAY, M.D., Colonial Surgeon.
* And as if ignorance was courted, I find it stated in the Report of the Health of the Royal Navy for 1863, in reference to Hongkong: "the Sanitary regulations that were for some years enforced with good effect have lately been greatly neglected, and are now, I believe, scarcely "attended to in any particular." !!!
1.-POLICE.
TABLE shewing the ADMISSIONS into HOSPITAL and DEATHS during the Year 1867.
MONTHS.
EUROPEANS.
COLORED.
CHINESE.
TOTAL TOTAL
Admissions. Deaths. Admissions. Deaths. Admissions. Deaths. Admissions. Deaths.
January,
16
1
9
February,
6
15
March,
5
20
April,
11
22
May,
8
16
June,
23
32
July,
11
32
August,
17
25
September,
10
18
October,
25
22
November,
17
24
December,.
15
20
Total,.
164
3
255
8
33
29
1
22
28
40
27
58
46
42
30
52
42
36
1
452
12
2.-TABLE shewing the RATE of SICKNESS and MORTALITY in the POLICE FORCE during the Year 1867.
AVERAGE STRENGTH.
TOTAL SICK.
TOTAL DEATHS.
RATE OF SICKNESS.
RATE OF MORTALITY.
Europeans.
Colored.
Chinese.
Total.
84
352
130
566
452
12
79.85 per cent.
2.12
per cent.
3.—TABLE shewing the RATE of SICKNESS and MORTALITY of the TROOPS serving in HONGKONG, during the Year 1867.
STRENGTH.
ADMISSIONS INTO HOSPITAL.
DEATHS.
RATE OF SICKNESS.
White.
Black. Total. White. Black. Total.
White. Black.
RATE OF MORTALITY.
Total.
785
335 1,120
1,049 651
1,700
11
26
37
151.785 per cent.
3.303
per cent.