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EUROPEAN RESIDENCE IN THE TROPICS.
in
(Daily Press, 24th February.) The acclimatization of Europeans tropical countries was the subject of a paper recently read by Dr. L. SAMBON before the Royal Geographical Society and published in the Society's Journal. Dr. BAMBON maintains that there is no reason why the European as a coloniser should not conquer the tropical world and that tropical heat is not deadly or the cause of special discases. Anaemia, hepatitis, and Bunstroke, formerly attributed to solar heat, are now shown to be due to parasitism. The two former exist in temperate as well as tropical climates, while as to sunstroke, Dr. SAMBON tells us that it is infectious, that it often prevails in epidemic form and is confused with a number of other quite different diseases, but that its restricted and¦ peculiar distribution geographically shows that it is not induced by heat, but, like yellow fever, is limited to a few coast dis- tricts and the valleys of great rivers. Heat, Dr. SAMBON tells us, is not the enemy of the European in colonising the tropics; his struggle is with living or ganisms, from man and beasts to rotozoa and bacteria, and the lower the form of life the longer and fiercer the struggle. One of the most surprising statements in the paper, however, is that European children in the tropics with proper management thrive as well as at home.
[February 25, 1899.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
But we need not go so far afield, for we residents in Hongkong will probably have have instances in our own colony of Europa keener perception not only of the impro- ean children growing up into healthy men bability of a European labouring class being and women. Such instances do not prove, able to support the climate, but also of the however, that white men are adapted for desirability of counteracting the effects of severe physical work in the tropics, or that the heat by all means that science may if we had a white labouring class unable to place at our disposal. devote more care to the rearing of their children than the labouring class at home the children would be as healthy as the home reared children.
[
Science, however, can do much to modify the dangers of life in the tropics, as well for the native as for the white mau. This was shown by Dr. MANSON by reference to the connection between the water supply and elephantiasis. Mosquitoes infect water with the germs of the disease, and to prevent it we have but to keep the mosquitoes down, to prevent their preying on alreadly infected individuals, or, and this is the simple plau, to keep them from getting access to our drink- ing water, or by boiling or filtration to kill the germs which our drinking water may contain. When Hongkong was dependent upon wells, many of them polluted, for its water supply, no doubt cases of elephantiasis might be contracted by the natives, who were less careful than Europeans as to the source of their supply and-as boiling or filtration, but with our present water supply we should think the danger of the disease being contracted locally must have been reduced to a minimum. "No
to
one now," Dr. MANSON says, "need suffer "from elephantiasis," and it is suggested that as soon as the malarial parasite is as well understood as this, that scourge, too, will be abated. It is believed that mos- quitoes and similar insects in some way act as a medium in the propagation of malaria, and an investigation is now in progress for the purpose of collecting information bear- ing upon that problem. In connection with that investigation the co-operation of amateurs in the collection of mosquitoes has been invited; particulars as to the conditions that should be observed were recently published in the Government Gazette, and to them we would invite the attention of such of our readers as may
be interested in the study of insect life.
"The true "obstacles to colonisation," says Dr. SAM- BON, 'are the multitudinous living mites which teem in the tropics like every "other form of life. Against these nature can only give us fair play; they are her "creatures as much as we are. But we worship science and that goddess will "surely lead us to victory." Science will no doubt lead as to victory to the extent of rendering life in the tropics relatively more supportable by Europeans then it is now, but solar heat coupled with extremes of moisture and dryness of the atmosphere will always, we believe, preclude the settle- ment of a European labouring class in the
We have not the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society before us, and in the summary from which We quote important qualifications may have been omitted, but we are told that in the discussion that ensued Dr. MAN- SON expressed his entire assent to Dr. SAMBOY's main thesis. We find some difficulty in crediting that, for Dr. MAN- BON, when practising in Hongkong, never hesitated to express nis belief in the in- fluence of climate upon health. "You're "only an exotic here," he would say to his patients, and that, as it seems to us, precisely describes the situation. With the exercise of care the European in the tropics may live possibly as healthily as he lives in his own climate without special care, though even that we should doubt, the experience of Europeans in Hongkong being, we think, that they are generally a point or two below par and that toue is speedily regained on a visit home. The idea of Europeans ever being able to support in this climate the sustained physical exertion of the working classes in Europe appears to us quite untenable. Dr. SAMBON gives instances in which such exer- tion is alleged to be supported in tropical climates elsewhere, but the instances do not appear to justify the sweeping gener alisation. We are told that agricultural labour is carried on by white men in Central | tropics. and South America, Australia, and Africa.
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and
of
pre-
In the amelioration of the conditions But in Ceutral and South America the white life in the tropics science can assist us not race, if we are not mistaken, has a tendency only by discovering disease germs to assimilate to the native type. Australia has a climate of its own, but even there it is venting their propagation, but also by found necessary in the tropical regions to import native labour from the islands; and in Africa also it is very little agricultural labour
various mechanical devices.
Cold storage
(by improving the quality of our diet), electric fans, and so forth may go a long way towards mitigating the deteriorating effects pical regions. Mention is likewise made of constitution. If we cannot all sit under the Dutch in Java as an instance of people our OWN viue and fig tree the time
THE COBDEN CLUB AND THE OPEN DOOR.
(Daily Press, 20th February). The manifesto issued by the Cobden Club with reference to the preservation of trad- ing. rights in undeveloped territories acquired or to be acquired by the various European Powers is a timely pronounce- ment particularly apposite to the position in China.
It will be our duty," says the
C
manifesto,
"
*
to maintain valuable trade rights already acquired in territories "which other Powers may annex, and we freely recognise the necessity of being prepared to do this. But if this country will honestly stand before the "world and say, and by a consistent course of conduct prove, that ite interest in any derelict country, or "in any country, unappropriated by a "civilised power, in which other people "also are interested, is purely commercial, we believe that it can gradually draw
GE
Lf
"
to itself sufficiently strong moral and "material support from the rest of the "world to secure the peaceful realisation of
"
Its object.' It is suggested that England should say to other Powers, with respect to their claim to impose hostile tariffs, "Drop "this claim, au we shall view your ex-
14
pansion not only without alarm or sus- picion, but with sympathy and goodwill.” In the leases of territory recently granted to foreign Powers in China stipulations are incor- porated to the effect that at the leased ports no differential tariffs are to be imposed, and it may be assumed that this proviso was inserted under British influence either with or without the support of other Powers. That seems to us the orrect line of policy for Great Britain to pursue, to insist on equality | of trading rights, but not to interfere with the territorial expansion of other Powers so loug as such expansion does not trench on territory that she may have ear-marked as ber own. Russian activity in Manchuria is regarded by many as the closing of an open door, but those who take that view appear to be influenced more by their combativeness than their reason.
The only result so far has been to largely increase the volume of trade, and the increase will continue. This result might be looked for even in spite of any moderate preferential tariff that Russia might at some future time feel inclined to impose, but Great Britain is strong enough to make it a condition that no such tariff shall be imposed, and in en- forcing that condition she would probably have the support, as the Cobden Club sug- gests, of other Powers. In relation to China open door." is entirely inap plicable; the door has never been opened
of the obstructions placed in their way. more than a very little way and traders of all nationalities have complained constantly Any expansion of foreign Powers at the
the term
that is carried ou by white men in the tro- of a tropical climate upon the European cost of China means forcing the door a little
wider open, and with an equal tariff guaran teed, Russian expansion in Manchuria is a from a temperate climate having migrated may perhaps come when we may all be thing to be welcomed rather than opposed. to the tropics and flourished; but they able to sleep under our own punkah with- flourish as exotics and not as natives. That European children can thrive in the tropics, even in the plains of Bengal, is, it is said, shown by Sir JOSEPH FAYRER from the experience of the Lawrence Orphanage.
out having to have a coolie to pull it. This is not the time of year when punkabs months more, when we are experiencing the are much thought of, but in two or three enervating effects of the south-west monsoon
At Shanghai on the 10th February the ing to the ship in a sampon, missed his footing mate of the sailing vessel Osaka, whilst retura-
and fell into the river. The deceased, nimed in attempting to scramble up the gangway Roverade, aged 35, was not seen again.