271
Health district No. 3 contains not only the great majority of the European residences of the city, but also the more important of the European shops and mercantile offices, to which are attached in many cases quarters for the office coolies and caretakers; in the other districts many of the European and other non-Chinese residents are compelled to occupy the uppor floors of the better built Chinese houses.
The Inspector in charge of No. 3 Health District acts also as engineer in charge of the steam disinfecting apparatus.
It will be seen from the above table that the surface crowding of the population is very acute in No. 3 Health District, and to a slightly less extent in Nos. 6, 9, 7, and 4 Health Districts
BIRTHS.
The births registered during the year were as follows:-
Non-Chinese community,
Chinese community,
130
113
243
677
448
1,125
807
561
1,368
This is equal to a general birth-rate of 5.5 per 1,000, as compared with 5.1 during the previous year. The birth-rate among the non-Chinese community alone was 17.7 per 1,000; and the nationalities of the parents were as follows:-British 88, Portuguese 74, Indian 49, German 15, natives of Malaya, and Manila 8, Jews 4, Japanese 3, French 1, and Spanish 1. It will thus be seen that the births among Europeans (exclusive of Portuguese) numbered 105, as compared with 113 during the previous year, and the birth-rate therefore among this community was 28.7 per 1,000 which compared very favourably with the birth-rate at home of 30 per 1,000.
The number of Chinese births registered does not, however, give a true record of the actual number of births which have occurred in the Colony for many of the infants that die during the first month or so of life remain unregistered, although of course the deaths of these infants are registered for the purpose of obtaining a burial certificate. It has accordingly been customary in the past, in estimating the birth-rate among the Chinese community, to add to the number of births registered the number of deaths of infants at or under 1 month old, which are recorded as occurring at the various Convents in the City, or whose bodies are discovered by the Police in the streets or in the Harbour. This makes the total Chinese births to have been 1,582 and the birth-rate among the Chinese to be 6.7 per 1,000, while the total birth-rate of the Colony will then stand at 7.3 per 1,000.
DEATHS.
The total number of deaths registered during the year was 4,688, as compared with 5,860 during 1896; but in that year, there were no less than 1,078 deaths from Bubonic Fever; discounting these latter deaths altogether however it will be seen that there has been a material reduction in the number of deaths recorded, and the death-rate for 1897 stands at 18.85 per 1,000 as compared with a average of 23 per 1,000 during the previous five years (exclusive of 1894). The total number of deaths among the Chinese was 4,484 which corresponds to a death-rate of 19.08 per 1,000, the rate during the previous year having been 24.73 per 1,000.
The deaths registered among the non-Chinese community were 204 as compared with 253 during 1896, and the mortality rate was therefore 14.89 per 1,000 as compared with 19 per 1,000 during 1896 and 17.6 per 1,000 during 1895.
I regret to say that nothing has yet been done in the direction of the control of Chinese doctors, by the Government, although my Report of January, 1896, recommending their registration was adopted by the Board and forwarded with a unanimous expression of opinion that the matter was one which deserved early attention. In view of the fact that poisonous preparations may be sold or administered at the present time by any ignorant and uneducated Chinaman, I certainly think that if no Ordinance for the proper control of these Chinese doctors and chemists is shortly adopted, the Sanitary Board should make a series of Bye-laws under section 13, sub-section 22, of Ordinance 24 of 1887 for regulating the sale of poisons.
DISTRIBUTION OF DEATHS.
The 204 deaths in the non-Chinese population were distributed among the following nationalities: British and American 77, Portuguese 47, Indian 38, German 13, Japanese 10, French 5, natives of Malaya and Manila 5, Negroes 5, Italian 2, Spanish 1, and Austrian 1. This gives a death-rate among the European and American civil community, including the mercantile marine, of 21.3 per 1,000; but if the Army and Navy be included, with this deaths, the rate stands at 10.1 per 1,000.