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53. The figures in the European Table vary but slightly in the different years and classes of disease and the totals still less. The figures in the Chinese Table vary very cansiderably in the different years, both as regards the different classes of disease and the totals. Why Enteric Fever should vary from 12 to 679, simple continued Fever from 46 to 733 and Diarrhoea from 195 to 701, is very hard to say. I have here given the lowest and the highest numbers in any of the twelve years given in the tables. I can only ascribe it to a confusion in the diagnosis of the different diseases. The totals show that the mortality from these different diseases went up by pretty large jumps from 1873, when the total was 319, to 1879, when the total reached 1,478 in 1880; the total made then a large drop to 1,030 and then went on rising again till 1883, when the total reached 1,496; this year it has again made a large drop to 1,035. Typhus I have laid no stress upon, as it has not, so far as I can ascertain, been diagnosed by European Physicians as occuring in the tropics and is not a disease, unless carefully isolated, likely to stop at one or two cases.
54.-The only cases, as far as I can ascertain, of true Typhus ever seen by European Physicians in Hongkong, were some cases received many years ago in the Seamen's Hospital, now the Naval Hospital, and they all came in vessels from Japan. Still it is very clear that these classes of diseases have very largely increased of late years among the Chinese, as is shown by the totals, and have not shown any great inclination to go back to their former small numbers, which does not speak well for the Chinese portion of the City of Victoria or the Villages of Hongkong, as regards sanitation.
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55.-The Sanitary Board can do little to help this state of things, as long as the Building Ordi- nance and other Ordinances affecting the General Health of the Population remain as at present, for they are powerless to interfere in many cases. For instance, in the majority of Chinese Houses and many of those occupied by Europeans who can get no other quarters, the latrine is situated in the kitchen, not a very pleasant thing to think of. Not that the Chinese themselves like this arrangement, but they, like some Europeans, are compelled by circumstances to put up with it. It will at any rate take many years to remedy this state of things. Then all wells should be done away with especially in the Chinese quarters of the Town, (the state of the drainage as shown in Mr. CHADWICK's reports rendering the subsoil of the town yearly more unwholesome), and this cannot be done so long as the water supply is so limited. Many wells, that cannot be chemically proved to be unwholesome, are far from coming under the head of what are called potable waters. And many of them are by the Chinese themselves condemned as unfit for drinking, but are used for washing purposes only. Many have been closed as being unfit for any purpose, and this inflicts great hardship and expense on the poorer class of Chinese in the neighbourhood, who obtained their water from this source, for they have to go to much farther a field for their supplies.
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56.-The progress of reorganising the drainage is necessarily slow and this also greatly depends on the water supply.
57.-The markets, which are sadly in need of improvement, will also have to wait and many other things that I have brought to notice years ago in my reports remain in statu quo or have improved for the worse.
Mr. CROW's analytical report is very interesting. Besides the reports on some poisoning cases, on poisons in use by the Chinese, there are other things well worthy of circulation.
The analysis of bread supplied from various sources in Hongkong was very satisfactory. Nothing of an unwholesome nature was to be detected in
any case.
The analysis of the water supply is not satisfactory. The water supplied from the Pokfulám Reservoir is good, but of 42 wells examined only one, situated in Caine Road, was found to be equally good, the others only varied more or less in impurity, in most cases greatly so, and some wells were utterly condemned as unfit for any purpose.
The analytical work has been greatly hampered by want of a proper Laboratory, which want, I hope, will soon be rectified.
I have the honour to be,
The Honourable W. H. MARSH, C.M.G.,
Colonial Secretary,
&c.,
&c.,
&e.
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
PH. B. C. AYRES, Colonial Surgeon.
Remaining on 1st Jan., 1884,