VACCINATION.
The following vaccinations were performed during the year :-
Government Civil Hospital
Alice Memorial Hospital
718
238
Tung Wah Hospital:-
Victoria
Aberdeen........
...1,358
45
Stanley
68
Hung Hom....
16
Shaukiwan
31
Yaumati
Victoria Gaol
70
.4,507
7,051
375
Vaccination of infants has been compulsory since 1890.
It appears from the last census (1897) that only 44 per 1,000 of the Chinese population are born in this Colony so that this does not afford much protection to the community from Sinall-pox.
METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE SEASONS AND THEIR PROBABLE EFFECT WITH
REGARD TO SICKNESS.
The general conclusions to be drawn are that the months of maximum mean temperature are those in which malarial fevers chiefly occur, these are also the months in which the mean humidity is the highest.
ture.
Whilst diseases of the respiratory organs are prevalent in the months of minimum mean tempera-
With regard to special diseases :-
Small-pox was much more rife during the first three months of the year.
The conclusions to be drawn from our experience of plague in 1896 and 1898 are that the
occurrence of plague is favoured by :-
(1.) Long prevalence of drought or of abnormally low rainfall;
(2.) Atmospheric temperature below 82° F., as the months of maximum mean temperature
were in each year followed by a material reduction in the number of cases;
(3.) The absence of sunshine;
(4.) The dampness of the atmosphere, during the months in which there were most cases
the mean humidity of the atinosphere was high.
Attached are the :—
RETURNS ACCOMPANYING THIS REPORT.
Statistics of Population.
Meteorological Return.
Monthly Return of Diseases and Deaths at the Government Civil, Tung Wah, and Gaol
Hospitals.
Appendix A.-Report on the Prevalence of Plague in this Colony during the years
1897 and 1898.
March 7th, 1899.
J. M. ATKINSON, M.B. (London), Principal Civil Medical Officer.