HONGKONG.
No, 38
95
REPORT SHEWING PROGRESS OF SPECIAL WORK CARRIED OUT FOR THE PREVENTION OF THE FURTHER SPREAD OF BUBONIC PLAGUE.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
SANITARY BOARD, HONGKONG 21st October, 1895.
SIR,-Referring to our report dated the 7th of June (Government Notification No. 276 of 1895) we have now the honour to subunit, for the information of the Board, the following further particulars of the progress of the special work entrusted to our joint directions.
HOUSE TO HOUSE VISITATION.
2. On the 1st of June the original detachment, consisting of 24 Police and 15 soldiers told off for this service, was reduced to 27 men working in three sections. Each section consisted of 4 soldiers, including 1 non-commissioned officer, and 4 Chinese constables in charge of an European Police constable. On the 15th of June the services of two of the sections were dispensed with, and to the remaining section was allotted the duty of visiting houses in the worst part of the City in the morning and in the afternoon of noting the destination of the passengers arriving by the Canton steamers. This section continued to discharge these duties until the end of July when the services of the Police and Military were discontinued.
3. The night steamers from Canton have been regularly watched by a detachment of Police in charge of Detective Inspector QUINCEY.
4. In appendix A will be found a statement of the number of houses inspected and of the number of passengers tracked to their destination. In all 15,147 inspections of houses have been maile and 6,006, passengers from Canton followed to their destination after leaving the steamers.
5. It is gratifying to be able to report that the attitude of the public during the examination of houses by the search parties has been friendly throughout and that the conduct of those engaged on the service has been good. Although none of the house visitation parties discovered any cases of plague, we are of opinion that the surprise visits made from time to time in various parts of the City have had a salutary effect in securing the prompt removal of the sick either to hospital or to places outside the Colony.
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE.
6. At the date of our last report only 5 cases of bubonic plague were known to have occurred since the day on which the first case was reported.
After an interval of more than a month, viz., on the 14th June the disease re-appeared in Holland Street, Kennedy Town-two cases from No. 9 and 1 from a matshed situated on private property at the south end of the lane. On the following day (the 15th) 4 cases occurred in a room on the first floor of No. 10, Heung Lane, in the Sheung Wan District, and a further ase from the adjoining house, viz., No. 12 was reported the next day (16th). Particulars of these cases as well as those that occurred subsequently will be found in appendix B to this report.
7. Five persons from No. 10 and one from No. 12, Heung Lane-the rest of the inmates having escaped before the Police arrived to take charge of the houses-were placed under observation in one of the "marriage boats," or native marine hotels, specially chartered for this service and anchored at the back of Stone Cutter's Island.
8. Five cases having occurred within two days in these two houses alone, it was decided at 3 p.m. on the 17th, after a close inspection of the other houses in this part of the lane, and on a joint certificate by the Acting Medical Officer of Health and the Assistant Superintendent of the Civil Hospital, to remove the occupants of the next two houses, viz., Nos. 14 and 16 until such time as the premises could be satisfactorily disinfected and cleansed. The majority accordingly proceeded to Canton the same evening, having declined the proffered accommodation afloat; the rest were housed in one of the marriage boats.
9. On the 17th of June at 10 p.m. a man suffering from plague entered the Tung Wah Hospital and stated that he had been living in No. 10, Heung Lane, having left the house before the arrival of the Police. He was unable to give a clear account of his movements during the interval,
10. Two cases of plague developed among those segregated from Nos. 10 and 12, Heung Lane, riz., one from No. 10 (on the 18th) and one from No. 12 (on the 20th). Altogether eight cases of plague occurred in these two houses in Heung Lane,
11. The other cases do not call for any special remarks beyond those stated in the body and at the foot of the schedule. Not a single case has been reported since the 16th ultimo.