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SANITARY BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on the 24th inst. at the Board Room. Hon. Mr. Chatham, Vice-President, presided, and there were also present Hon. Mr. E. A. Hewett, Lieut-Col. Reid, Mr. A. Shelton Hooper, Dr. Pearse (Medical Officer of Health), and the following officials: Dr. Macfarlane (Assistant Medical Officer of Health), and Mr. A. Gibson (Secretary).
LIMEWASHING RETURN.
For the fortnight ended 3rd instant 266 houses were limewashed in the Eastern, and 84 in the
central district.
THE NEW HEAD.
The VICE PRESIDENT said-Before proceed- ing with the ordinary business I will read a communication I have received from His Excellency the Governor. It is as follows:-
The sad death of Mr. L. A. M. Johnston has necessitated several changes in the holders of appointments in the Civil Service of the Colony, and I am especially sorry that it should involve a change in the head of the Sanitary Department. Mr. Messer becomes Postmaster-General and I have appointed a cadet of much experience, Mr. Kemp, to succeed him. Mr. Kemp cannot, however, leave his duties as police magistrate at the present moment since there is no one to take his place in that appointment until the return of Mr. Hazeland from leave. I have therefore appointed Mr. Hutcheson to act as Head of the Sanitary Department. I have the fullest confidence in his ability to discharge the duties of that very responsible post and I am sure that the members of the Sanitary Board will afford him all the help in their power. I could have wished that the officer who acts as President of Board had already had the ex- perience and status conferred by having acted previously as head of a department, but with this exception I am confident that no one will more efficiently meet the requirements of the post."
The VICE-PRESIDENT also read the following letter received from the Colonial Secretary addressed to the Secretary of the Board:--
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Ferry Wharf, Kowloon, and suggested certain improvements.
The VICE PRESIDENT replied that the matter would have the attention of the Medical Officer of Health.
BACTERIA FOR BAT DESTRUCTION,
The following extract from the Journal of Comparative Pathology, relative to the use of bacteria as a means of destroying rats, was read:-Experiments have repeatedly been made to discover a reliable means of destroying rats. especially since these rodents are now known to be the carriers of bubonic plague. On account of the danger to human beings, the question was regarded in Germany as of such importance that the Imperial Sanitary Council appointed a commission who were entrusted with the dis covery of some effectual methods. France, England, America and more recently Denmark, have also studied the question. In the latter country an Imperial (sic) law was passed granting subventions to clubs formed to destroy rats. Un- fortunately, up to the present time. no sufficiently reliable material has been discovered. Those proposed, such as strychnine, phosphorus | Clayton's 803 gas, and various vegetable poisons produce no substantial result, nor did any greater | success attend the attempts in South Africa. where ferrets were employed. as these animals themselves were found to be subject to bubonic plague. The fact that mice can be infected with Loffler's mouse typhoid bacillus and thus des. troyed without danger to man led to experiments being made with many different kinds of bacteria most of which were found in rats, with the object of producing epizootics among these rodents. Of such bacteria, a certain species is of great interest inasmuch as it has been em. ployed for destroying rats and has recently been cultivated on a commercial scale. It comprises the bacilli of Danysz and Dunbar and
[November 28, 1908
results, for several of the experimental animals always survived, The sam is true of the experiments made in Halle, where practical tests were carried out and the official reports_state that in certain sharply defined areas Ratin proved unreliable. The general appearance of the three bacteria of different cultivation media shows that they all belong to the large group of so called ptomaine producers. Trautmann and Xylander have also shown by extensive agglutina- tion tests that they appear to be identical with - Gartner's bacillus paratyphoid enteritidis. The virulence of Danyss and Dunbar's bacillus, and also of the Ratin bacillus, varies within wide limits. The two first investigators were unsuc- cessful in increasing the virulence of the different varieties as against grey rats. In every case bacteria, which proved very virulent in the cage of tame rats and white mice produced uncertain and relatively limited effects when applied to grey rate. The explanation generally advanced for this is that the blood of grey rats often contains large quantities of some protective material. The existence of this apparent immunity is believed by Trautmann and Xylander to be "due to the animals having already undergone a slight infection with similar or related bracteria, and to the consequent production of protective materials in the blood. Such accidental infec tions appear more probably inasmuch as rats must very frequently be exposed to infection with bacteria of the kind now in question. Recent investigations have made it clear that bacteria of the paratyphoid group oc- curred not only in the faeces of men and animals but in dead bodies, in impure drink, ing water. and in drainage. A species of bacteria isolated from these sources are some- times only slightly infectious, for experimental animals some indeed are entirely innocent Negative results, however, do not provẻ that Ratin. During an epidemic amongst such bacteria are innocent under all circum- field and wood mice in Charny on the Seine. stances, for variations in virulence are very Danysz found a bacillus which, when given to common in other varieties of pathogenic bacteria. various rodents with their food proved pathogenic. Moreover, when we consider that rats aro for all, although at first appeared only slightly commonest in places abounding in filth such as injurious to rats. By numerous passages slaughter houses, stables, canals and knackers' through animals it proved possible to increase its yards, it appears very probable that they virulence, so that when fed to rats it appeared frequently become infected and thereby im- Sir, I am directed to inform you that H. E, of an extremely virulent character. Unfor- munised against the above mentioned bacteria the Governor, with the approval of the Secretunately the hopes held out by Danysz's belonging to Gartner's group. During his ex- tary of State for the Colonies, has appointed
have not been altogether justified. periments Xylander found that rats caught in a Mr. J. H. Kemp to be Head of the Sanitary The practical experiments carried out by bone mill where they lived on all kinds of
flesh Department with effect from the 18th inst. As Danysz gare relatively good results, inasmuch decomposing. etc.. proved quite owing to the exigencies of the public service Mr. as in 50 per cent of the places where the fractory to infection with the Ratin bacillus Kemp will be unable to take up his appoint-bacillus was tried, the rats were almost entirely given by the mouth, and substances could
destroyed. In 30 per cent of the cases they were ment for some months, H. E. the Governor
their blood which ap- has appointed Mr. R. O. Hutcheson to act as diminished, and only in 20 per cent was the result peared to give protection against the Ratin Head of the Sanitary Department with effect negative. Nevertheless the results obtained by bacillus. From the above it is easy to under- from to-day.
Danysz's methods have been tested by other ex- stand why bacteria of this class, although very perimenters who have either given doubtful or al-virulent for white rats have given only partial together negative results. Dunbar isolated all the bacterium for certain rats which had died in his laboratory as a result of extensive epizootic. For several years he had noted outbreaks of an infectious disease amongst the experimental animals, and especially amongst experimental rats in the Hamburg Hygienic Institute. This disease often assumed the nature of plague (though in several instances it occurred in isolated cases) and presented a more or less close resemblance to bubonic plague. showed loss of condition, marked injection of the vessels of the subcutaneous connective tissue, haemorrhagic buboes, and often punctiform necrossis of the liver and spleen as well as hyperalmia of the lungs. When animals were fed with the material they showed inflama- tion of the intestines and swelling of the peyers spatches and of all the lymphatic glands. This marked resemblance to the naked eye appearances of those of bubonic plague in rats caused Dunbar to relinquish the absolutely innocent for man are at present un- idea of using this bacterium as a means of known. Bynhoff has occupied himself with the destroying rats in Hamburg. At the same time relationship of Loffler's mouse typhoid bacillus he conducted laboratory experiments for the to the bacillus of human paratyphoid, and purpose of determining the pathogenic powers of Trommsdorf has more than once pointed out the his bacillus against rats, and succeeded in des. possibility of human beings being infected by his bacillus. This variety certainly seems some- troying from 45 to 50 per cent of the gray rats
Even more recently a pre- what less dangerous than the enteritidis group which he used. paration of bacteria has been introduced by because it has not been clearly proved that the Gneumann in Aalborg as a commercial article former produces poisonous materials capable The above warning for the purpose of destroying wild rats. The of withstanding heat.
therefore applies even more emphatically to bacillus was obtained from the urine of a two years old child which was suffering from cysti-bacteria of the enteric group which produced tig. Experiments in the laboratory and products poisonous alike for men and animals. in a limited degree in practice with this Ratin This close relationship of the bacteria to those of bacillus did not invariably give satisfactory Gartner's group would therefore indicate the
Mr. HOOPER-We did not know last time we
sat here that Mr. Messer was going away, and as he is not here I think I should only be voicing the feelings of all members of the Board, present or absent, by congratulating him on his new appointment which we take to mean promotion. With regard to his successor, Mr. Kemp has been well known in the colony for many years and in taking up the appoint ment as Head of the Sanitary Department and thereby becoming President of the Sanitary Board he will not be coming on new ground. He will come with the experience which he acquired some few years ago when he acted as Secretary of the Board. Of course he acted as secretary under the old Ordinance which has been repealed, and the new Ordinance has to a certain extent lightened his duties. I am sure he will perform these duties to the satisfaction of the Board and of the community.
PRAISEWORTHY PUBLIC SPIRIT.
The VICE-PRESIDENT said there was another letter which he would like to bring before the notice of the Board. It was from the Registrar General and stated that Mr. Chan Kang Yue had been good enough to have printed at his own expense in Chinese the article from the Indian Plague Commission's Report with regard to the do- struction of rats, and had caused it to be circu, lated not only in the city, but in Kowloon. copies of the pamphlet having been left at every floor of every
house. He thought this action showed an excellent public spirit and one which should be properly commended.
A KOWLOOW NUISANCE.
Mr. HOOPER drew attention to the filthy condition of the covered ricsha shelter at the
bacillus
The animals
be
isolated from
re-
or doubtful results when employed for the des- truction of grey rats on a large scale. We have in fact to deal with rats which have already attained a certain degree of immunity. Even when using an extremely virulent variety, one can only hope to bring about the destruction of those rats which have attained partial immunity, or which are still open to infection, and these appear not to constitute more than 50 per cent of the whole. percentage will probably become even smaller if the use of such poisons becomes more general, and especially if rats had opportunity of partaking of only moderately virulent or absolutely non-virulent varieties, and thus become immune. The use of cultures of bacteria for the destruction of rate appears both
mechanical on biological and grounds to be very limited. Their use will also be interfered with under certain circumstances,
8.6 bacterial varieties which are inasmuch
This
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