COPY.
255
Far Eastern Association of Tropical Medicine.
sir,
C O
Hongkong, 16th. December, 1910
3300
i
In reply to four enquiry as to why China
was not included in the resolution of this Association on the
subject of "Quarantine", adopted at its Congress in March last,
I can only suggest that this was due to the fact that hitherto
China has taken no interest in questions of this nature. She
did not become a signatory to either the Venice (Plague) Con- -vention or the Paris Convention, and although speciallyinvited
by the President to send a delegate to our Congrese this year
she failed to do so.
The Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs has
European medical men in its employ who advise the Commissioners
on medical questions, but hitherto neighbouring countries have
had to rely upon their respective Consuls for information
concerning outbreaks of epidemic disease in China and even then
only the very vaguest estimates are obtainable as to the extent
and duration of any such epidenic.
It seems to me that the Consul for AmoTMTM
has in his letter confused the rights of China with the con-
-mercial interests of shipping firms trading to and from a
treaty port in China, and while it is no doubt most desirable
be that all reasonable facilities should/given to coolie emigra- -tion ships to carry their passengers from China to neighbouring
countries, yet it is not likely that the onerous restrictions
referred to will be removed at the Ports of neighbouring
countries until China is in a position to guarantee a strict
compliance with the usual quarantine procedure at the ports of
departure.
Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson,
P.C.M.O.
I have etc... (5d.) Francis Clark, M.D«z
Secretary.