No.
27
1904
HONGKONG,
REPORTS OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, THE SANITARY SURVEYOR, AND THE COLONIAL VETERINARY SURGEON, FOR THE YEAR 1903.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.
SANITARY BOARD OFFICES,
HONGKONG, March 20th, 1904.
SIR, I have the honour to submit, for the information of the President and Members of the Sanitary Board, the following report on the Health of the Colony during the year 1903.
The geographical situation of the Colony just within the northern tropic (N. 22° 5′) and its relation to the mainland of the southern part of the Chinese Empire, the annual cycle of meteorological phenomena, the configuration of the island of Hongkong and its geological formation, all combine to pro- luce a state of things which, summed up under the word Climate, must have directly and in- directly a great though perhaps a not easily perceptible effect on the health of the inhabitants.
Although Hongkong is an island, yet its proximity to the mainland modifies the solar climate considerably. The range of temperature throughout the year is considerable, yet it is not so great as is found to be the case in places not very far inland in the Kwang Tung Province. The effect of the ocean is seen in that the highest monthly mean was only 82 F, while the effect of the proximity of the main- land of South China is felt in the comparatively low temperatures in the first two months of the year, when the mean temperatures were 58′3 and 58:4 respec- tively. The highest rise of the thermometer therefore in the hot season is sinall when compared with that which occurs in Calcutta, which is in about the same latitude, and the cool bright days of the cold season are, considering the low latitude of the Colony, a wonderful advantage from a climatic point of view.
There is no doubt however that the condition of the atmosphere in the City of Victoria is, during the summer months, very depressing. This is due to a great extent to the high percentage of moisture in the air at the same time when the temperature is high. But there are, in my opinion, other factors to be considered. The position of the City of Victoria on the northern side of the Island and at the foot of high hills cuts it off to a great extent from the influence of the prevailing winds of the hot season, and moreover the crowding together of the houses owing to the steepness of the site of the City and the lack of room for expansion. the resulting narrow streets, high buildings and the heavy verandahs to the houses, all tend to produce a condition of stagnation in the atmosphere of the City during the time when free ventilation is most desirable.
The
The configuration of the ground upon which the City of Victoria is built is undoubtedly a great factor in the sanitary condition of the Colony. steepness of the hills has rendered it necessary to cut deeply into the hillsides when preparing sites for houses, with the result that in the older portions of the City dark and unhealthy basements abound. In some cases two floors are com- pletely below the level of the ground on one side.
The nature of the rock or soil on which the City is built is also unfavourable. This geological formation of disintegrated granite or laterite has long been considered unhealthy. In former years, before the discovery of the relation of the mosquito to malarial fever, the laterite of Hongkong was considered to be essen- tially a malaria producing soil.
But apart from this it is easy to see how this soil may play its part as a factor in the sanitary condition of the Colony.
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