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I have frequently had the opportunity of examining the dead body an hour or two after death. In these cases, cultivations have been made from almost every tissue-fluid and solid, in the body, cultures were prepared on all kinds of media and probably from each case about 20-30 tubes would be inoculated and plate cultivations made. The results obtained agree in the main with those of PEKELHARING and WINKLER and others. At the same time, in no case could any micro-organism isolated be brought into casual relationship with the disease.
Further, nothing definite has been obtained from a bacteriological examination of the intestinal canal or of the cerebro-spinal fluid. Experimental research has been impossible so far owing to the want of accommodation. It is proposed to take up this and should the animals experimented with prove susceptible to the disease, some interesting facts ought to be ascertained in regard to the etiology of the disease.
REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION OF ANIMALS FOR PLAGUE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MORTUARY FOR THE YEAR 1903.
I. RATS.-Total No. of Victoria Rats examined,
Kowloon
15 17
"
54,747 46,309
Total No. of Hongkong Rats examined, .....
......101,056
Total No. of Victoria Rats found infected,
Kowloon
""
}}
""
**
21
17
3,028
716
3,744
Total No. of Hongkong Rats found infected,..........
Comparing these results with those of 1902, one finds that while there is a diminution by 16,783 of the total number of rats examined yet there is an increase of 1,729 in the number of those found infected.
There is little to add to the report given by me in 1902. A large number of live rats have been examined an found suffering from plague. Many of these had plague in a chronic form. Fleas found on rats have been found infected with plague bacilli. These apparently do not bite the human species. On several occa- sions I have had these fleas on my hands but never experienced a bite. ASHBURTON THOMPSON Confirms the statements of BATTLEHNER, GAERTNER and others that the species of flea infesting rats does not infest man, but on the other hand have no re- pugnance for him. They will feed upon human blood if they be hungry. The human flea is said to be cosmopolitan. So that there are two chances against the human subject being bitten by rat fleas, an important point to bear in mind when con-idering the role played by suctorial insects is the dissemination of`plague amongst the human race.
II. FowLs. The number of these examined is 121, and of this number 44 were returned as infected. Owing to the pressure of work during last year's epidemic of Plague, it was found impossible to proceed further in the examination of these fowls than the appearances presented by the microscope. Morphologically the bacteria would pass for the B. pestis but in the absence of more detailed examination the question at once arose as to the possibility of the disease being one of the forms of Septicemia avium. The organism of fowl cholera, although smaller in size, presents very much the appearance of the B. pestis morphologically. Fowl cholera is met with in Hongkong. I have met with several instances of it, The Bacterium avicidum is an organism which affects a large number of birds of different species calling forth in their bolies a typical Bacteriæmia, but so far bas not been known to affect man to any great extent. The consumption of the carcases of fowls, ducks, etc., dead from this disease, however, frequently calls forth severe emesis and diarrhoea. The general consensus of opinion is that should a bird have succumbed to this disease, it ought, from a strictly sanitary point of view, to be destroyed and not used for diatetic purposes.
As I have already mentioned, the disease exists in Hongkong and therefore in China. Its prevalence and effects are so far unknown apart from reports from Chinese sources as to periodic outbreaks of some very fatal disease amongst their fowls. The question is worthy of investigation, and should opportunity present itself, I shall avail myself of it.