400
The Table of Police Admissions to Hospital shows that there has been a reduction for Malaria from an average of 237 during the seven years 1897-1903 to an average of 103 during the past three years. This means that 2.3 men have been added to the regular effective strength of the Police force of the Colony, in addition to the other savings men- tioned, by this capital expenditure of £6,500, plus a small additional annual expenditure of about £35 on Quinine for prophylactic purposes.
Hygiene is taught systematically in all the Schools in the Colony and special attention is paid to the teaching of the mode of conveyance of the infection of Malaria by the mosquito, and the manner in which the mosquito breeds.
Beri-Beri.
There were 561 deaths from this disease during the year, of which 6 only were among the Non-Chinese community; we seen to be as far as ever from arriving at any definite information as to the mode of transmission of this disease, though numerous reports have been written on the subject.
INFECTIOUS Diseases.
The total number of cases infectious disease notified during the year was 1,179 of which $93 were of Plague. The following Table shows the nature and distribution of these diseases:
CITY OF VICTORIA HEALTH Districts.
21 3
5
7
S
10
Peak.
Kowloon.
Harbour.
Territories.
be
New
of
Villages
Hongkong.
No
address.
Imported.
Totals.
19 81 12 57 60 52 40 46 184 60
Plague,
Typhoid,
Cholera,..
Small Pox,
12
Diphtheria,
Puerperal Fever,
7
:
10
:
:
1
3!
2
17 19
15 13
14. 20
+ 1
-
♡
194 28
25
2
20
1
36 23
I
10
:
:
:
:
1
13 19 893
2
10
15
66
:
1 4 192
Table II shows the mmber of cases of notifiable diseases recorded in each mouth of the year.
Typhoid Fever.
13
13
The number of cases of this disease during the year was 66 as compared with 90 during 1905 and 129 in 1904.
The European cases numbered 43, of which 15 were importeil. The Chinese cases numbered 12, while 11 cases occurred amongst the other races in the Colony. Five of the European cases, three of the other Non-Chinese cases and seven of the Chinese cases died.
In most of the cases of Typhoid Fever that occur in this Colony the infection is probably contracted by cating salads of raw vegetables, which have been grown in Chinese market-gardens, where it is customary to water and manure the plants with diluted human excreta-both urine and night-soil. Residents in the Far East should carefully avoid such articles of food as water cress, lettuce, etc., in view of this danger of contracting Typhoid Fever, Cholera or Intestinal Parasites, all of which diseases may be conveyed in this manner.
It will be seen from the above figures that this disease is much less prevalent among the Chinese than among Europeans in this Colony.
Cholera.
Two cases of Cholera were recorded during the year, both of them being Chinese employed on ships in the Harbour. One of the patients died.