399
The above Table gives the deaths from similar causes among Chinese. This shows an increase on the total compared with the previous year of 109, there being 771 cases compared with 562 in 1890. Nine deaths are reported from vomiting and purging. Mr. MCCALLUM and myself inspected the bodies in these cases, some of them never had any vomiting and purging; two cases were from heart disease, and one from disease of the lungs. In a boat at Yaumati five cases of vomiting and purging were reported and one death among them. We went across to inspect them. The man that died had been suffering from Malarial Fever for nearly a month, two of the others bolted when they saw us coming, and the two that remained were suffering from high fever at the time. They had all suffered from the usual bilious vomiting and purging at the onset of the attack.
Mr. CROW's analytical report is of great interest as giving a full account of the water-supply to the Colony from the different sources, and it is satisfactory to know that we are far better off than most towns at Home and quite as well off as any of them in this respect.
Mr. LUCAS, the Assistant Apothecary, did the analytical work for Mr. CROW while he was away on leave in a most satisfactory manner and deserves great credit for a careful and voluminous report he made on the Taitam Water-supply.
In conclusion, it is satisfactory to note steady improvement in this Department generally with the yearly increasing demands made upon it.
I have the honour to be,
The Honourable G. T. M. O'BRIEN, C.M.G.,
Colonial Secretary.
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
PH. В. C. AYRES,
Colonial Surgeon.
APPENDIX.
Mr. H. McCallum's Report on Opium and Opium Smoking.
GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL,
HONGKONG, 6th March, 1881.
SIR, With reference to your request that I should estimate the Morphine value of the different preparations of opium used for smoking purposes and furnish you with what information I could relative thereto, I have the honour to lay before you the following remarks.
The Morphine value of the different preparations of opium depend chiefly on the amount of extract yielded by and the percentage of Morphine present in the crude opium from which they were prepared. Now as opium varies considerably in this respect the preparations thereof will vary accordingly. There is also more or less loss of Morphine during the preparation of smoking extract the loss being greater the longer it is submitted to moist heat and the higher the temperature. Making due allowance for variations from these causes, the results obtained from the different kinds examined and stated below, may be taken to fairly represent their average percentages of Morphine.
Indian opium average Morphine value of.........
5 to 8 per cent. quantity of smoking extracts yielded by ............70 to 80
1st Quality of prepared opium from Hongkong opium farm yielded 5.86 per cent. Morphine. 2nd Quality of prepared opium from Hongkong opium farm yielded 7.30 per cent. Morphine. Cake prepared opium from a coolie smoking-house said to have been prepared from opium dross yielded 6.28 per cent. Morphine.
Opium Dross (scrapings from opium pipe) yielded 4.76 per cent. Morphine. Opium Dross average quantity of extract yielded by 65 to 70 per cent.
It is generally assumed that the effect of smoking opium is similar to that of eating it and that this is principally due to the Morphine it contains; this assumption appears very problematical when the following facts are taken into consideration :—
1st. That Indian opium is the kind most prized by smokers and it is characterised by its
usually low percentage of Morphine.
2nd. That the Chinese estimate the value of opium according to flavour and the quantity of
extract it yields.
3rd. The mode of preparing smoking extract tends to the destruction of Morphine.
4th. The large quantity which can be smoked without any apparent toxic effect not only by
habitual smokers but also by beginners.
5th. There is no authentic case of acute poisoning from opium smoking.
An experiment has been made bearing on this point and although not conclusive it is confirmatory of the idea that Morphine is not the active agent which gives pleasure to the opium smoker.