SOMETHING NEW
FOR THE
NEW YEAR
TREAT YOURSELF AND YOUR
FRIENDS TO A
"SPEEKO"
ELECTRIC
SHAVER
THE LATEST PRECISION INSTRUMENT FOR QUICK AND EFFORTLESS SHAVING. FEATURING TWO SPECIAL ADVANTAGES IT CAN BE USED OVER AN ENTIRE RANGE OF VOLTAGES FROM 110 TO 250 VOLTS
» IT CAN BE USED ON EITHER A.C. OR D.C.
CIRCUITS
Obtainable At:-
THE HONGKONG DISPENSARY A. S. WATSON & CO., LTD.
TÉL. 20016.
Lifetime
Partners
Buy a Wahl EVERSHARP
fountain pen today and you will have a faithful, life-long friend always ready to serve you.
Simply move the little slider on the point-up or down-and you “fit”
it to your individual style of
writing. Another exclusive fea-
ture is the safety ink shut-
off, which seals the ink
in the barrel when
the cap is screwed
on tightly. Has
large ink ca pacity, and
will show
when to. refill.
New Eversharp Repeating
Pencil to match
Just press the
top
and
out pops a new point of just the right length-feeds beads continuously. To refill, lift the top and drop in enough leads for six months writing Pen and pencil sets in exclusive Doric design and beautiful modern colors. Re- peating pencil also made in gold-filled metals, rhodium plate and a combination of metals and pyralin.
Wahl-Eversharp Pen and Pencil assure unsurpassed durability — the height of satisfaction. A useful gift for any occasion.
EVERSHARP
ON SALE AT
THE SINCERE CO., LTD,
CHRISTMAS GIFT CENTRE.
THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 20, 1939
PUBLIC HEALTH IN HỒNG KÔNG
In Hong Kong there are 130 funerals the Tubercle germ settles down and every day. This is stated, not to pro- the mischief begins. mote a morbid train of thought, but to invite a personal interest in the great- est single problem of this Colony Public Health and especially to beg you to consider whether you cannot make a personal contribution towards remedying a state of affairs which can only be described as unsatisfactory.
and your
You may be tempted to dismiss the problem as not your business, but as the inevitable accompaniment of poverty, ignorance and the bad living habits of people with whom you do not associate. But a high death-rate is everybody's business. Apart from com- passion and public spirit, the problem does affect you personally, for infection is no respecter of persons, own life would be happier, and less expensive to maintain, if the menaces to health could be reduced. Most pec- ple have come at some timé face to face with the tragedy of disease-re- latives or friends unaccountably. stricken and their lives brought to a premature end. There is no escape from communal responsibility: or, if there is, self-preservation insists upon our concerning ourselves.
Bad habits, such as spitting on floor or pavement, increase this danger especially where houses are damp, dark and dirty. The custom of using a common bowl or of shafing eating and drinking utensils can spread in- fection. The Chinese family méal cus- tom may have · much ́ to answer for.
babies by persons infected with Tuber- Tragedy may follow the kissing of
culozis.
What can we do? Let us recapitulate the cause:
(1) malnutrition;
(2) dirty, damp, sunless and airless
surroundings;
(3) bad housing, overcrowding and lack of adequate ventilation;; (4) bad habits (e.g. spitting in public
places, vehicles, etc.); (5) failure to recognise, isolate and
an
results.
treat cases of the disease in time. And now what about the prevention and cure? The traditional arguments are that malnutrition is largely economic problem. Overcrowding is so large and difficult a question that to begin here and neglect other measures would produce very slow Of the diseases which take toll of by legislation would probably be re- To attempt to compel quick reform the Hong Kong population, the most sented and resisted. Compulsory isola- damaging is Tuberculosis. This also tion in sanatoria would not appeal- is probably the most frequent agent even if sanatória were available. But, of tragedy. In order to demonstrate pending.some of these measures and how serious the menace is, it is desir-provisions, there is much that can be able to give a few figures. During the done at once. Here is where you can years 1936, 1937 and 1938, deaths in Hong Kong attributed to the disease
help: totalled respectively 2,416, 4,028 and 4,920.
(1) Ventilate your houses and let the sun in. Even the broken pane can be a blessing in disguise.
In the same period, the proportion of deaths from Tuberculosis to every (2) Avoid close contact with infect- thousand deaths from all causes hased people. In the home, adopt the in- risen from 92 in 1936 to 127 in 1938. dividual dish, basin, spoon, etc. Forbid The statistics so far available for the the kissing of children by infected current year show an even higher persons. rate.
Now, what can we do about this? First, let us consider the causes of Tuberculosis.
First and foremost comes malnutri- tion. In the main, this is due to poverty resulting from low wages
(3) Eat nourishing food.
(4) Get plenty of sleep and enough daily exercise.
(5) At sport never permit yourself to become exhausted.
(0) Do not spit except into latrines, from a drains or spittoons. Encourage others flooded labour market and to incapa-to follow your, example, in this. Το city from ill-health due to under and hurt their feelings a little is better improper feeding-a vicious circle than letting them infect others. thus being created. But, you may say, (7) Encourage early detection, iso- quite a number of wealthy people lation and treatment of caacs who are well fed become infected. Tuberculosis, especially of adults. True. But it is necessary to realise that malnutrition does not always
of
surviving and causing further havoc if every effort is made to keep rooms flushed with sun, fresh air and soap
and water-all of which constitute re- latively cheap means of protection in the hands of every person.:
The Tubercle germ is a treacherous enemy: it lurks in damp, dark and mean inadequacy of food. Physical dirty places; consequently, it follows weakness also results from eating the that there is much less chance of its wrong foods through ignorance of more nutritious kinds of food, or through prejudice, as in the case of the unwillingness of urban com- munities to cat unpolished rice, which, would protect against beri beri. Lack of sleep also reduces the resistance: it has a greater effect on health than If to these steps is added an ade- people realise. Much mischief is also quate amount of simple, nourishing caused by over indulgence in strenu-food, together with sufficient. sleep.
daily exercise, regular habits ous games.
avoidance of undue fatigué or ex- will be more than half won, posure, the battle against Tuberculosis
After malnutrition, which lowers the Individual resistance to Tuberculosis and prepares the soil, as it were, for infection, comes contact with actual cases of the disease.
Here, it should be made clear that
and
Those with knowledge of the con- stituents of balanced dietaries can help by making this known to all in their circle of acquaintance-teachers scholars, and so on.
to
Everyone can contribute his share by discouraging by example and pre-
the bulk of the cases of Tuberculosis met with in Hong Kong are due to what is called the human strain of the germ. Tuberculosis in cattle is uncom- mon in Hong Kong, and the law relat-cept-spitting in public places, ing to compulsory pasteurisation, which came into force on the 1st April, 1939, serves as a safeguard against such milk-borne infection.
Contact with what is described as an "open" case of Tuberculosis, or one who is coughing) or spitting up Tubercle germs, is the usual way in which the disease is acquired,
pavements, in vehicles and, in fact, anywhere except in latrines, drains or spittoons containing disinfectant.
Those who know of cases of disease indicated by cough, right-sweats or fever, loss of weight, paleness of lips, lack of energy-can also help by per- suading such persons to go to a quali- fled doctor or to a dispensary or hos- pital for advice and, if necessary,
treatment.
Such contact may occur in several ways. Owing to serious overcrowding, due in some measure to relatively If such patients are treated at home, high rente, a healthy person may have relatives can help by geeing that to Thare a cubicle or even a bed or þed every endeavour is made, to provide space on the floor or pavement with room, or cubicle, or at least bed isola- a victim of the disease. In such cr- tion, with separate eating, and drinking cumstances, the air, containing drop- utensils and strict attention to cleaní- lets of spit, in which Tubercle germs ness, use of spiftoons, and; 2000. . ere to be found, is breathed by the re- Only by the active help and co- latives or close neighbours of the pati- | opération of every right-thinking per- ent and passes down into the lungs. son can any progress be made in the If such persons have become wenken- | fight against the Tuberculòkls peril in ed by inadequate food or other causes, Hong Kong.