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REPORT BY THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH OF THE COLONY OF HONGKONG FOR THE YEAR 1896.
SANITARY BOARD.
Members:
Hon. J. H. STEWART Lockhart, Registrar General. Hon. F. A. COOPER, Director of Public Works, (President). Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G, Captain Superintendent of Police. PH. B. C. AYRES, C.M.G, Colonial Surgeon, (Vice-President). FRANCIS W. CLARK, M.B.; D.P.H. CAMB, Medical Officer of Health. · NATHANIEL J. EDE.
Secretary to the Board: HUGH MCCALLUM.
To the Secretary of the Sanitary Board.
SANITARY BOARD OFFICES,
HONGKONG, 19th March, 1897.
SIR, I have the honour to submit, for the information of the Board, the following Report upon the health of the Colony of Hongkong for the year 1896.
AREA.
The Colony comprises the island of Hongkong which has an area of rather more than 29 square miles, and the opposite peninsula of Kowloon with an area of 23 square miles; upon the island are situated the city of Victoria and the villages of Shaukiwan, Aberdeen and Stanley with several smaller hamlets, while upon the peninsula are the European settlement at Tsim-tsa-tsui and the villages of Yaumati, Hunghom, etc.
The buildings of the city of Victoria occupy some 580 acres, and the city lies upon the slope and at the base of the hills on the north shore of the island, while European dwelling-houses extend пр the hill-side almost to the summit of the Peak, some 120 houses already existing in the Hill District (ie., more than 800 ft. above high water mark). The island is composed entirely of granite rock, chiefly syenite with occasional masses of basaltic trap, while the surface consists of disin- tegrated granite (red earth) embedded in which are huge boulders of grey granite, admirably adapted to building purposes, while here and there are to be found small beds of clay.
CLIMATE.
The average monthly temperature throughout the year has been 72° F. the maximum monthly temperature was attained during July when it reached 88.1° F. and the minimum monthly temperature occurred in February when it stood at 53.1° F. The highest recorded temperature was 94° F. during the month of July and the lowest was 40.7° F. in the month of December.
The average daily amount of sunshine was 4.8 hours, while on 65 days only out of the year no sunshine was recorded.
The total rainfall for the year was 71.78 inches, the minimum monthly rainfall occurred in May with 1.15 in. and the maximum in June with 18.63 inches, while upon 208 days no rain at all was recorded. The relative humidity of the atmosphere throughout the year was approximately 80 per cent, the maximum occurring in March with 88 per cent, and the minimum in December with 85 per cent.
GENERAL SANITARY CONDITION.
The general sanitary condition of the Colony leaves very much indeed to be desired, chiefly how- ever in regard to the condition and arrangement of the Chinese dwellings, for there are few cities in the East, in which the condition of the roads, the general scavenging of the surface, the public street lighting and the systems of surface, sub-soil and household drainage can be said to excel our own.
The conditions however which exist in the Chinese quarters of the Colony are such as to exclude, almost entirely, light and air from the buildings, for they comprise (1) back to back houses, (2) houses of three and four stories fronting upon narrow lanes, which vary from four to fifteen feet in width, (3) obstructed backyards, (4) inadequate window area and (5) the sub-division of rooms into cubicles.
In my opinion the great majority of these defects can be remedied by law without the demolition of the property; thus the further erection of back to back houses can be prevented by enacting that section 66 of the Public Health Ordinance of 1887 shall apply to all buildings to be erected in future,