194
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12TH MAY, 1866.
Has known Policemen to allow people to throw their rubbish, slops, &c., into the street before the houses, for which the individual is liable to a fine of 5 pounds; if this law were properly enforced the sanitary state of the Colony would be much better. The contents of the Dust Eins are placed in buckets and carried down to boats and deposited in the sen to th Westward of Green Island; has spoken of the reservoir near the Theatre, remembers that in the heavy rains the contents overflowed through Gap Street into the town below, this reservoir is not entirely covered in and overilows as I have said in the rainy weather; thinks the town is dirtier this year than last, attributable to greater leniency on the part of the Magistrates.
29th March, 1800.
years,
CHUN FOONG-SAN, Employment, Eating House-Keeper, lives in Taipingshan, Toong wan Lane, has lived there about 3
has heard that many people died last year in this district, and many were sick, inore than in previons years, saw some of the sick, heard that several had died suddenly, saw some of the bodies, observed them to be Yellow in Skin, before death observed the eyes to be yellow, has observed the same colour of skin ia men who died in the 2nd Chinese Moon. States that the Lane he lives in, is in a dirty state, it is cleaned out but badly, daily by each householder. The Police order dirt to be removed when it accumulates, but the Police cannot enter the gardens or back premises; can only speak of his own house, but thinks other parts are dirtier than in his neighbourhood.
In the sickness last year, he means the Yellow disease, people were afraid to communicate with the sick, has not heard of
any unusual sickness this year.
Two Respectable Chinese Doctors sent by the Apothecary of the Civil Hospital.
POON FOOK-YEN, is a Chinese Doctor, lives near the Western Market, has been 11 or 12 years at Hongkong practising as a Doctor, has a shop there, has patients both poor and rich, is in large practice. Observed some difference in the sickness of last year as compared with previous years, a little more, he found that the sick got head-ache became Yellow and then died, became Yellow in 4 or 5 days after the first attack, and died after that in. 2 or 3 days. Some of the patients vomited, some not, some vomited at the beginning, some at the end of the disease, some of the vomited matter was yellow, in some cases worms, in other like Rice, rarely black, like black water.
Saw above 100 cases of this disease, of which 30 or 40 got well, more died than recovered.
Has seen some cases also this year, about 3 or 4 resembling very nearly the disease of last year, has seen the same disease before both at Canton and Hongkong, every year similar cases occurred, in Canton in 1861, such cases were more nemerous, but in Hongkong more so in 1865, and he saw more cases in Canton in 1864, than at Hongkong in 1865; the mortality was greater in proportion in Canton than in Hongkong, the poor were chiefly affected, one in 100 was rich, has observed it generally to begin about May and cease when the weather became cool, about the month of September. Rice is dearest in March and April.
The disease appeared in Canton at the same time of the year, as at Hongkong.
The friends of the sick were afraid of the contagious nature of the disease, and he himself believes it to be contagious. He believes the disease to come from the ground.
PANG YOOK PENG, is a Chinese Doctor, lives near the Taipingshan Juss House, has been 13 or 14 years in Hongkong. practising as a Doctor, has a shop, has rich and poor patients, is in good practice. Cures Ulcers and Abscesses only. Knows there was auch sickness last year but not so n.uch as 5 years ago.
Heard the sickness last year differed from that of previous years. Symptoms head-ache thirst, black colored skin, then
yellow, then death, the patients became yellow after 3 or 4 days of sickness, and died generally 2 or 3 days after. Saw some patients vomiting in the beginning, very little vomiting at the end of the disease. He witnessed very few deaths. Heard that several 10s of people in Taipingshan died.
2nd April, 1860.
DR. WEST, Surgeon H.M. 2/11th Regiment, states that he served in the West Indies from April 1830 to March 1804, at Demerara and Barbadoes. At the first-named Station saw the endemic Yellow Fever, it commenced among the shipping in the Demerara River in May 1862, in the Autumn of that year it increased greatly among the Inhabitants, it continued in the epidemic form until about January 1863, the mortality was less than in former years; in the Seamen's Hospital, it was from 15 to 18 per cent; in the Colonial Hospital about 23 per cent of the cases attacked. Has read the description of the Disease which prevailed last year in Hongkong Caol, as it appears in the evidence of Dr. Murray, the Disease in Demerara in some respects does not correspond with that description, and has seen several of those at present under treatment in the Hospital of the Hongkong Gaol, the Yellow is much more defined than it is in the West Indian Disease being there of a light straw colour. In the Fever of the West Indies which he saw, the Urine was Albuminous. only in the most severe cases, and all the cases in which it was suppressed were fatal. The Black vomit occurred sometimes within the first 24 hours, and though considered a bad, was not always a fatal symptom, so the resident Surgeon informed him.
As far as he remembers these were the only symptoms in which the Fever he saw in the West Indies differs from Dr. Murray's description, excepting the appearance of the tongue which is said to be a characteristic of the Disease, no matter how it is coated in centre is invariably red, round the edges and top.
With respect to the Post-mortem appearances, has only to say that in all the cases seen in the West Indies, the Kidneys and Bladder were always diseased, the former being enlarged or decreased in size, and the latter contracted and empty.
The manner in which the Black vomit occurred is identical with that described in Dr. Murray's evidence, they ejected it from the month without effort. The worst cases of Yellow Fever he saw died in 12 or 14 hours after admission into Hospital, and in some of those cases there was no Black vomit.
NOTICE.
HARBOUR MASTER'S OFFICE, VICTORIA, HONGKONG, 10th May, 1866.
Notice to Consignees, Masters and Others in charge of Merchant Vessels.
1. On or before the 1st June proximo all ships with the following exceptions shall be moved over to the North side of the Harbour mooring them properly with 45 fathoms on each chain, the anchors lying in an E. N. E. and W. S. W. direction from each other.
2. The Southern line of this anchorage is the North Extremity of Hongkong shut in with the South Extremity of the Kowloong Peninsula bearing E. by S.; the Top Gallant Masts and yards are to be on deck and flying Jib-boom in, a spare anchor should be ready for letting go, and the hawse kept clear.