64
P
The following table gives the number of cases reported in each month of the.
last two years :-
1903.
1904.
January,
4
0
February,
29
3
March,...
115
4
April,
272
40
May,
515
135
June,
343
194
+
July,'
85
96
Angust,
32
19
September,
9
9
October,
November,
4
5
December,.
2
5
1,415
519
To my mind one of the most important plague preventive measures is the general cleansing of the Chinese houses which is now carried out by the inhabitants themselves during the winter months, the fact that we have been able to obtain the co-operation of the people in this way is in a great measure due to the personal interest Sir HENRY BLAKE took in endeavouring to quell the 1903. outbreak.
This commenced in November, 1903, and was finished by the end of February, 1904. During this time over 11,000 houses containing 34,193 floors were cleansed by the Chinese, the Sanitary Department supplying the hot water, soft soap, and removing the rubbish at a total cost to the Government of $6,123.
Four days' notice is sent to the occupiers that the time has arrived for their houses to be cleansed, at the end of this time they are visited by the Plague Inspector and if found dirty the Sanitary Staff take the matter in hand and cleanse the premises.
The Chinese have now come to see the value of this measure and only in a very few instances did they fail to do it in the allotted time.
At the end of the first cleansing it was determined by the Board to continue it throughout the year, this was done until September and in this way the Chinese houses were thoroughly dealt with at least two or three times.
In the winter of 1904-1905 the cleansing commenced on the 1st November, and was completed by the 1st February of this year, during this time 12,677 houses in Victoria, Kowloon, Shaukiwan and Aberdeen containing 34,193 floors have been dealt with in this way and 805 cartloads of rubbish have been removed. The total cost to the Government for the necessary fuel, soft soap, &c., was only $1,131.32.
The inhabitants are assisted by the Plague Staff, whose services are thus utilis- ed in non-epidemic times.
It is intended to continue this work throughout the summer.
Rats.-21,907 rats were caught during the year, of these 993 were found to be plague infected,
From Dr. HUNTER's researches it is evident that it is the rats which bridge over the period between successive outbreaks, all during the winter months cases of plague infected rats are found although the disease is at this time practically non- existent in man. The method by means of which plague is spread from rat to rat and from rat to man has yet to be worked out.
An attempt was made early in the year to kill off the rats with Danysz' virus, the strain, however, must have become attenuated, as although it was freely distribut- ed and there were evidences of its having been eaten a fatal effect was not induced. Seeing the successful results which have been last year produced in the Province of Charente in the South of France by Professor Roux where the rats were practically exterminated by the fatal epidemic induced by this virus, we have