286
ISSUES OF VACCINE During 1903.
Vaccine paid for,
The Victoria Goal,
The Tung Wah Hospital,.
The Civil Hospital,
The New Territory,
The Sanitary Board,
..2,485 Tubes.
.1,050
800
612
""
100
**
24
5,361
During the past year a considerable amount of pure bacteriological work has been done.
No attempt was made to prepare the more complicated vaccines and sera, as it was felt that until the erection of the Bacteriological Institute, the manufacture of such would be attended by considerable risk. The erection of the institute is now only a matter of months and it is hoped that during the present year, the building will be finished and so equipped that research of any nature may be undertaken under the best of conditions.
The routine bacteriological work consisted mainly in the examination of material sent by medical men. I am glad to be able to state that not only have the medical men in Hongkong availed themselves of the laboratory but also those practising in neigbouring ports.
Repeatedly throughout the past year have iny services been requisitioned by medical gentlemen in Canton, Pakhoi, Amoy, Swatow, etc. I feel convinced that with the opening of the institute and the knowledge of the existence of such in the Far East, great progress will be made in regard to research, and with the co- operation of medical men in Hongkong and neighbouring ports much can be accom- plished along many lines of investigation.
During the past year 40 cases of suspected Typhoid fever have been examined. by Widal's Test.
In several instances the spleen has been examined post-mortem for the Bacillus typhosus and on two occasions pure cultures of the organism were obtained.
Eight suspected cases of Diphtheria have been examined.
An interesting case of Anthrax with meningitis was examined bacteriologically. The Bacillus anthracis along with the pneumococcus was found. A full report of the case was sent to Dr. BELL, the Superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital. Several suspected cases of Cholera have been examined but with a negative
result.
Specimens of blood, sputum, etc. were forwarded to me from the Naval Authori-- ties owing to the occurrence of suspicious pneumonia on board one of His Majesty's Battleships. The cases proved to be Plague.
Numbers of specimens of sputum have been examined during the year.
A large number of tumours have been examined. The work, however, could not be carried on systematically owing to the building operations at the Public Mortuary I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to many medical gentlenen for forwarding specimenes of tumours and more particularly to Dr. MACLEAN GIBSON who has always let me have preparations of all tumours coming under his notice.
Tumours at the Public Mortuary are rarely inet with.
During the epidemic of plague last year, I was asked by the President of the Sanitary Board to enquire into the question of sterility of certain supplies of Plague Vaccine from Bombay. Ten samples were tested and three of them were found contaminated.
1 am glad to state that in future the plague prophylactic will be prepared locally.
From the month of June onwards, I was engaged along with Mr. GIBSON, the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, investigating a Cattle Disease which was preva- lent in the Colony. A preliminary Report has already been published. Further research into this disease is to be carried on during 1904, as to experimental infection, the modes of infection, the question of curative treatment, and the problem of prophylaxis against the disease.