160
Victoria Gaol, Tung Wa
Hospital, Mortuary,
Visit the Subordinate 1 Assistant Surgeon Government | Officials
in Hongkong.
Kennedy Town Hospital,
THE KONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
IMMUNITY OF CAPE COLONY CHINESE FROM PLAGUE.
At the meeting on Thursday of the Hong- kong Legislative Council, the Colonial Secretary and (if Hygeia brought 1 Assistant Surgeon, (Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart, C.M.G.) laid ou over)
(i.) The Port. (ii) Kowloon Plague Hospital and Mor. tuary, Police and Sub- ordinate Government Officials in Kowloon. (iii) Government Civil llospital, or as detailed by the Principal Civil Medical Officer.
2 Health Officers of the Port-one to re- side in Kowloon and do duties as in (ii.); the other as in (iii) when not engaged in duty in the Harbour.
Non-Epidemic Period. Government Civil Hos- The Principal Civil pital, Lunatic Asylum, Medical Officer and Maternity Hospital, Superintendent;
Assistant Surgeons,
and Mortuary.
Victoria Gaol, Tung
Wa Hospital,Visit the 1 Assistant Surgeon. Subordinate Govern-
ment Officials.
(i.) Port.
(ii) Kowloon. In charge
3
of the Mortuary. To visit the Subordinate Government Officials 2 Health Officers of and Police in Kowloon. the Port-one to re- (iii) Work as detailed by side in Kowloen.
Principal Civil
the
Medical Officer and Hygeia.
We are of opinion from evidence given, that, speaking generally, one of the above 7 officers could always be away on leave, his duties being arranged for by the Principal Civil Medical
Officer.
We further consider that some closer super- vision should be exercised over, or new rules drawn up for the regulation of, the absence on leave of the officers of the Government Me- dical Department with a view to at least ar- ranging for the presence in the Colony during plague time of the nearest approach to the full staff.
There should always be a Medical Officer on duty at the Government Civil Hospital, and during his tour of duty be shou'd not be per- mitted to leave the establishment unless for an urgent professional call,
We would suggest that the two Health Officers of the Port divide the Port duties between them, and that during his hours of duty, the officer on duty should always be available for the Port work. One of the two should reside at Kowloon, and during the hours he is not on duty for Port work he should attend to the Kowloon Plague Hospital and Mortuary, and the Government subordinate officials re- sident at Kowloon. During the hours when the other of the two is not on duty for Port work, he should be employed at the Government Civil Hospital or as the Principal Civil Medical Officer may require. This latter officer might easily attend to the Hygeia during non-epidemic times when he is not engaged on Port duty.
It was stated by Dr. Atkinson in the course of his evidence that "it is the intention of the Government to have a medical inspection of all ships entering the Harbour." In framing our opinion as to the above mentioned staff for Port work, we have not allowed for the carrying out of this intention, which would necessitate a much larger staff.
In conclusion, we consider that it is impera- tively necessary that during epidemic times one Medical Officer should reside at the Kennedy Town Hospital,
The report is signed by Messrs. W. B. Drew, D.LG., R.N. (Chairman.) G. A. Hughes M. B., M.Ch., F. O. Stedman, M.D., B. S. (Lond.), C. S. Sharp, and R. L. Richardson.
The Iohang correspondent of the N.-C. Daily News writes on the 11th inst:-H.M S. Woodlark arrived here on Monday, the 3rd. We have been some time now without a British gunboat and were glad to see the Woodlark back. Many rents come from the West of French activity. Sould rather have more activity on the part British Government. But no doubt when time comes for action Britain won't be behind.
the table the following correspondence on the immunity of Chinese in Cape Colony from infection of plagne :—
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hongkong, 30th July, 1901. Sir, I am directed by the Governor to inform you that His Excellency has observed a statement in the English papers to the effect that in Cape Colony the Chinese population has enjoyed immunity from infection during the late outbreak of plague.
2. His Excellency would be glad to know to what canse this immunity, if it exists, has been attributed.
I have the honour to be. Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
The SECRETARY to the HIGH COMM SSIONER,
Cape Colony
Government House,
Cape Town, 6th November, 1901 Sir, With reference to your letter, No. 1862 of the 30th July last, addressed to the Secretary to the High Commissioner, regarding the alleged immunity from infection enjoyed by the Chinese population in Cape Colony during the outbreak of plague, which was referred to this Office on the 25th September last, I am desired by the Governor to transmit, berewith, a copy of a report he has received from the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony and Director of Plague Administration, on the subject.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
H. W. B. Robinson,
Private Secretary. The COLONIAL SECRETARY, Hongkong.
(Enclosure.)
Office of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony,
33, Parliament Street, Cape Town, November, 1901, ALLEGED IMMUNITY OF CHINESE FROM PLAGUE INFECTION.
(1.) With reference to the statement in the English papers to the effect that in Cape Colony the Chinese population has enjoyed immunity from infection of Plague during the present outbreak of the disease, and to the request of His Excellency the Governor of Hongkong to be informed as to the cause of alleged immunity, if it exists, I beg to state that:—
(2) There are not at my disposal accurate data upon which to base a calculation as to the relative number of Chinese at present residing in Cape Colony as compared with the rest of the population. The last census of the popula- tion of the Colony was taken as far back as the year 1891, and according to these returns there were only two hundred and fifteen Chinese males (no females) residing in Cape Colony, but it is certain that this number has largely increased; exactly to what extent, however, it is impossible to say.
(3.) The number of cases of plague which have been discovered up to the present among Chinese during the outbreak is only ten, all of whom were males, namly-One at Cape Town, eight at Port Elizabeth, and one at Uitenhage; of which number, seven have died, namely:-six at Port Elizabeth, and one at Uitenhage. Of the remainder, one at Cape Town, and one at Port Elizabeth, have been discharged cured; and one at Port Elizabeth is still under treatment.
(4.) A round enumeration of the Chinese, Asiatics (Indians) and Aboriginal Natives at Port Elizabeth, made during the last few days, has resulted in the discovery of 390 Chinese, 384 being males and 6 females; of 707 Indians, 491 being males and 216 females; and of 8,830 Aboriginal Natives. This enumeration of Abori- ginal Natives is more likely, however, to be inaccurate than that of Chinese and Asiaties.
(5.) Although these figures are quite insuffi- cient for the purpose of arriving at a final con- clusion, yet a rough indication of the relative'
J
[March 1, 1902.
incidence of the disease among Chinese, as compared with other races, and especially Indians, may be obtained. They give, in the case of Port Elizabeth, for the Chinese popula- tion a case incidence of over two per cent. of- the community and a mortality (so far) of over one and a half per cent.; and a case mortality (so far) of seventy-five per cent. of total known
attacks.
These rates may be compared with the incidence on Indians living in the same place, among whom four cases of plague, all of whom have died, have been discovered, with give a case incidence and mortality of 0.37 per cent. of the Indian community, and a case mortality of 100 per cent. of the attacks. They may also be compared with the rates for Aboriginal Natives living in Port Elizabeth, among whom forty- four cases of plague have been discovered, of which number, twenty bave died, fourteen have been discharged cured, and ten still remain under treatment; giving a case incidence of a little less than a half per cent, of the Aboriginal Native population.
As the final result of so many of the cases among natives at Port Elizabeth is not yet known, no useful rates of mortality can at present be obtained for these Natives, but it is of interest to compare the case mortality in different races among all cases of plague which have so far occur- red throughout the Colony (including Port Elizabeth). This has amounted-among Euro- peans to 34.1 per cent. on a total of 214 cases; among Aboriginal Natives of 42.7 per cent. on
Coloured
per. a total of 192 cases; and among sons, chiefly consisting of half-castes and Malays, to 56.7 per cent, on a total of 436 cases.
(6.) So far, therefore, as we can judge from the above figures both the incidence of disease and the mortality, when attacked, is greater among Chinese than among other races.
(7.) It is impracticable to say how far these results have been influenced by inoculation with Haffkine's Prophylactic," as, apart from the fact that our records do not in every case state the race of the person inoculated, there are so many sources of fallacy in the application of inoculation figures that no reliable deduction can be made. Moreover the number of persona inoculated is so small compared with the size of the communities living in infected areas that, I think, under any circumstances but little effect cam be attributed to the inoculation on the course of the epidemic as a whole. Perhaps an exception to this statement may be made in regard to the inoculation of the large body of Natives (between six and seven thousand, who were removed from Cape Town at the beginning of the outbreak and placed in a new location at Uitvlugt in the vicinity of the city.
The total of inoculations to date, a large number of which, however, have been performed on Natives and Asiatics living in uninfected portions of the Colony, amount to 29,781, of whom 6,355 were Europeans, and 23,426 were Coloured, Asiatics, and Aboriginal Natives.
(Signed) A. JOHN GREGORY, Medical Officer of Health for the Colony
and Director of Plague Administration.
TERRIBLE VOYAGE OF THE
“EVIE I. RAY.”.
On
Bea was
the arrival on Wednesday of last week
at the Mariveles quarantine station in the Philippine Islands of the Ameri- can barque Evie I. Ray, a terrible story
and
suffering at of privation told by the crew. The Evie I. Ray hails from Portland, Maine, but has sailed for years out of Boston, Not long ago Captain Francis Kasten, her present master and almost sole owner, brought the ship out east, completing bis voyage at Hongkong. In June of last year the skipper obtained a charter with a Chiness firm of Hongkong to proceed to Rajang, North
Borneo, to load lumber for Hongkong, the terms of the charter, it is understood, to be $10,000 Mex. Leaving Hongkong, the ship carried a crew of Japanese, but beri-beri broke out amongst the men and the skipper put into a Cochin-China port where he telegraphed to his agents here to send him another crew, for the Japanese sailors had all succumbed to the disease. More than four weeks later a Chinese crew reached him, but the ship was barely ready for sea when most of the new men were taken sick with the same disease. The chief officer of the