398
The deaths of Chinese in the City of Victoria are shown separately in the foregoing Table, which also includes a statement of the rainfall and of the number of wet days in each year, and although the actual rainfall does not appear to have any appreciable influence upon the death-rate from Malaria, yet the influence of the number of wet days is quite pro- nounced during the first quinquennium, if we regard the deaths in the City only-outside the City the opportunities for the breeding of mosquitoes were so numerous, and the popula tion comparatively so sparsely scattered, that the number of wet days could have but little influence upou the incidence of the disease. Within the City, however, conditions were somewhat different for many of the ravines had not then been trained, swamps such as those at Kennedy Town had not then been drained, and little or no attention had been paid to the breeding of mosquitoes. Thus we find that in 1899 which had the smallest number of wet days in this quinquennium, there was the smallest number of deaths from Malaria, while the year 1897 which had the greatest number of wet days shows also the greatest number of deaths and last year, which must be regarded as a bad year so far as Malaria is concerned had the next greatest number of wet days during the past ten years. The rapid fall in the number of deaths from Malaria within the City during the second quinquenniuin received a check in 1906, which it is hoped is only temporary, for it is naturally here that most of anti-malarial work has been carried out though something has also been done in the out- lying villages and even in the New Territories.
T
In the following Table is shown the seasonal incidence of the deaths from Malaria and it will be seen that the largest average number of deaths belongs to the months of October and November, while during the early months of the year the death-rate is lightest. Our rainy season extends from April to September, so that the malarial season corresponds roughly to the wet season of the year.
Seasonal Incidence of Deaths from Malaria.
1897. 1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905.
1906. Averagės.
January,
February,
March,
April,
**
23
40 28 3,7 37
30
30
24
10
24
28
30
41
36
3 1 46
20
18
10
CC
16
26
23
46'
33
43
34
20
20
23
14
11
27
May,
June,
29
20
44
49
Go to ho
20
44
41
36
19
27
17
26
13
26
26
73
201 52
34
21
16
29
15
27
35
34
69
17
38
32
19
10
31
25
32
July,
56
August,
50
September,
61
14 A 00
45
58
58
+9
27
34
30
28
14
27
35
34
50
48
49
23
55
21
47
52
55 30
34
29
25
.66
5888888
31
32
#
14
46
October,
55
65
45
November,
73
48
8
60
December,
70
49
50
218885
70
95
59
888
82
40
62
48
59
75
0 000 10
32
26
85
27
28
36
31 31
26
48
牛肝汤
53
52
50
Totals,...
551 | 530 546 555
3rd
425
300 201 287
418
:
L.