221
already overcrowed with the bodies of persons who have died of Plague-the number increases enormously. The following is of slight interest :—
No. of Bodies too decomposed
.....
In January,
February, March, April,. May, June,
Co
8
6
12
26
28
60
July,
54
August,
96
September,
56
October,
32
November, December,
17
402
This table shows clearly that July and August, the hottest season, are the months during which the largest number of decomposed occur. In fact during the short interval of 10 days from the 1st to the 10th of August, no fewer than 50) decomposed bodies were received at the Mortuary.
The work at the Mortuary, under these circumstances, is carried on with considerable difficulty and risk. There is no method there at present of immedia- tely dealing with such decomposed organic matter. Certainly the most efficient way of getting rid of decomposed bodies would be cremation, immediately on their arrival at the Mortuary.
REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION OF RATS FOR PLAGUE AT THE GOVERNMENT
PUBLIC MORTUARY FOR THE YEAR 1902.
Before giving any details as to the opportunities afforded for carrying out this research, the methods employed, and the interpretation of the results obtained, it will be interesting to enumerate the total number of rats examined during the year.
Total number of City of Victoria rats examined,
79
of Kowloon
99
19
Total number of Hongkong rats examined,
Total number of City of Victoria rats found infected,
13
**
of Kowloon
"
Total number of Hongkong rats found infected,
68,517
49,322
.117,839
1,413
602
2,015
OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED FOR CARRYING OUT THIS RESEARCH.
The systematic examination of rats found alive or dead was begun when I as- sumed charge of the Government Public Mortuary on the 20th March, 1902. It was evident from the very commencement that if this work was to be carried out on an extensive scale and in a systematic manner with uniformity of results, extra accommodation at the Mortuary would have to be provided. Accordingly with the consent of the Principal Civil Medical Officer (the Public Mortuary at that time being under the supervision of the Medical Department), I had the existing old Coroner's Court adjoining the Mortuary so reconstructed that the examination of rats could be undertaken satisfactory for the time being. The Coroner's Court consisted of two fair sized rooms, and with slight alterations these were fitted up so that one room was devoted to the actual post-mortem work, the second room being used as a microscopic or research room.
At the same time the arrangements made last year could only be of a temporary character, no system being possibly obtainable whereby the examinations could be satisfactorily carried out from a modern sanitary point of view.