407
within the City limits; the large increase in Kowloon for 1906 and 1907 is almost entirely accounted for by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Works. The deaths in the Harbour (boat population) are no doubt the result of infection contracted ashore and almost all of them occurred in boats which lie habitually along the Kowloon shore of the Harbour.
The fact must also not be overlooked that the malarial infection is not in all cases contracted locally, for the Chinese population is constantly receiving additions from the mainland of China, and the resident Chinese pay somewhat frequent visits to their native land, but for the purposes of comparison the figures given are fairly reliable as an indica- tion of the districts which yet need attention.
The Military return of admissions to hospital for Malaria also shows a marke i re luction in the incidence of this disease, as will be seen from the subjoined Table:-
Admissions for Malaria: European Troops.
Year.
Strength.
Admissions. Deaths. Invalids.
Ratio per 1,000.
1898,
1,569
595
10
18.
379.3
1899,
1,643
829
25
504.6
1900,
1,484
629
16
423.8
1901,
1,673
1,010
15
603.7
1902,
1,381
1,523
6
24
1102.8
1903,
1,220
987
2
6
768.0
1904,
1,426
390
1
9
273.5
1905,
1,370
348
1
254.0
1906,
1,525
480
15
314.7
1907,
1,461
287
12
196.0
Hygiene is taught systematically in all the Schools in the Colony and special attention is paid to the teaching of the inode of conveyance of the infection of Malaria by the mosquito, and the manner in which the mosquito breeds.
Beri-Beri.
(
There were 562 deaths (561 in 1906) from this disease during the year, of which 3 only were among the Non-Chinese community; one of them was a German stoker employed on S.M.S. Luchs, the second was an Indian employed as a greaser" on a merchant steamer and the third was a Japanese infant about two months old whose death was registered as due to "Beri-beri Neonatorum". The various theories as to the aetiology of this disease are being carefully studied in this Colony with a view to arriving at some means of diminishing the heavy toll which it levies yearly upon the native population.
Trachoma.
A Committee was appointed by Government to consider the prevalence of Trachoma amongst the children attending the Schools of the Colony and regulations were drawn up to control this disease.