THE PREVALENCE AND CHARACTER OF TUBERCULOSIS IN HONGKONG
I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
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The statement has been made that not only is tuberculosis a common disease in the tropies but that it appears to be increasing in its ravages in the East, Bee- ing that the treatment of tuberculosis,both prophylactic and surative, consista largely in fresh air and sunshine, it soms strange that this disease should be
rife in tropical countries where sunshine is so prevalent and living in the open
air is the rule.
Á very brief experimes as medical officer in charge of the mortuary suffised te show that tuberculosis ma a fraqumt cause of death in Hongkong and I deemed is an investigation well worth undertaking to determine the varieties of the disease NA met with here, the portals of entry, the mode of spread, and, if possible, to determine the primal cause of onuses responsible for the condition and those aiding its dir surdnation, with a view to elucidating nonsures for its prevention.
Tuberculosis is one of the most important of diseases designated "prevenüüblo”, und one cannot but be fersibly reminded of the dietum attributed to King Edward VII--
"If preventable,why not prevented ?"
The large number of bodies set for ermination to the Vistoria Mortuary offered an excellent opportunity for sarrying out auch an enquiry. For some time past, there- fore, I have made notes on all cases dying from this disease, I have exeluded those suses which showed merely signs of old-standing tuberculosis, for previous investiga- tions have proved that after middle life nearly all bodies yield svidmes of some healed focus of the disease. A particularly noticeable feature in my series if the large peremtage of children of tender age who die from tuberculosis. Another peint worthy of note is the fact that whereas at home intestinal tuberculosis as a primary condition is fairly common in shildrm and is ascribed to the drinking of infested milk,in tropical comtries primary intestinal tuberculosis is met with although milk is not taken as a regular food; this holds good here also, though it is only right to add that primary intestinal infection appears to be somparatively rare in Hegg-
kcome.
Before preseeding to speak in detail of the cases dealt with in this investiga- tion it will not be out of place to make a few general remarks on the diasure to