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to be suffering from acute malaria. But for the prompt pooling of resources of personnel and materials by the Civil and Crown Forces, it is probable tha a very serious epidemic of malaria would have attacked all branches of the community in the last quarter of 1945 owing to the regrettable neglect of this problem by the Japanese. As it was, it became necessary to enforce the taking of a tablet of atebrine (apecrine) daily, the wearing of long sleeves and long trousers from an hour before dusk to an hour after dawn and the use of mosquito nets by all members of the Forces in the Colony.
Soon after the re-occupation of Hong Kong arrangements were made for a specially adapted aeroplane to be shipped from Australia, to be reassembled on Kai Tak Airfield, Kowloon, and to carry out aerial spraying with a mixture The afteoplane was of anti-malarial oil and D.D.T. dissolved in Kerosine. fitted with one 300 gallon tank under each wing and with a smaller auxiliary tank, to fly at a height of 100-300 feet at a speed of about 160 miles per hour and in a wind not exceeding six miles per hour. It was anticipated that this form of spraying should prove affective on marshy land, paddy fields, and the like (and would also be effective against flies), but that D.D.T. spraying of the interior of premises and the usual anti-malarial oiling and permanent training of nullahs, ravines and hillseepages would have to be continued.
As in pre-war days, the general Health Inspectorate (or rather such of the very reduced staff as remained in Hong Kong during the occupation) gave full co-operation to the anti-malarial staff and did their best to cope with the general mosquito nuisance. This work was considerably handicapped by three factors, inter alia. Firstly, the Japanese prohibited the collection and disposal of tins by the Health staff on the grounds that the tins would be gathered up at a later date and sent to Japan with all other forms of metal (factory parts, telephone wire, road studs, iron gates and railings, reinforce- ment from demolished buildings, and so on). In this way, heaps of tins were to be found in ruinous houses and formed potential reservoirs for mosquitos after every heavy rain. Secondly, in an entirely ineffectual way to stop looting and destruction of property, the Japanese had hundreds of premises barricaded with barbed wire and forbade Health Inspectors to inspect and deal with mosquito-breeding and other nuisances. This had no effect in keeping deter- mined looters from entering these same buildings at night and removing all the contents including wooden floors, ceilings and staircases, doors, windows, etc. In the Peak District alone there were 500 looted residences. Thirdly, the Naval, Military Forces and Gendarmerie refused to allow the Health Inspectorate to enter any areas occupied by them and to take appropriate anti-mosquito measures. This was a particularly unsatisfactory feature because the occupation forces seized property all over the Colony and, hence, provided nuisances and mosquito-breeding foci in areas which could otherwise have been effectively protected. Immediately the Department came into existence once more, a strenuous effort was made to overcome this state of affairs. Valuable co-operation was rendered by British Naval, Military and Air Force units in ameliorating conditions.
(b) BACTERIOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
The Bacteriological Institute remained open during the whole period of the Japanese occupation. In fact, the Japanese took over a teaching institution at 103 Austin Road, Kowloon, and established a second laboratory, in the former Maternity Ward of the Kowloon Hospital. Although the Institute rendered valuable assistance in the earlier months of 1942 by carrying out special tests for Tweed Bay Hospital, Stanley Civilian Internment Camp, St. Paul's, the Nethersole, Mental and Sai Ying Pun Hospitals, Hong Kong, its activities were very largely devoted to the preparation of anti-cholera vaccine and the examinations of rectal swabs from would be immigrants
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or contacts with cases of cholera and typhoid. The invading authorities efused to make any provision for the care and feeding of laboratory animals and the large majority of these had died before the retaking of Hong Kong, despite the devoted sacrifices made by the staff of the Institute. This state of affairs had a very depressing effect on Professor R. C. Robertson, M.C., former Lecturer in Pathology to the University of Hong Kong and Medical Officer in charge of the Victoria Mortuary. After putting up a courageous fight, he found the situation too difficult and died under tragic circumstances in the early summer of 1942.
Much of the cholera vaccine produced by the Japanese, especially in Kowloon, proved to be heavily contaminated and had to be condemned owing to its very serious effects on those inoculated with it. The anti-smallpox vaccine also proved to be without any potency whatever and had to be destroyed.
It would appear that the interest taken by the Japanese in performing tens of thousands of rectal swab tests and in inoculating the community with cholera vaccine was not unconnected with the necessity for the Japane se Medical Department to raise revenue to cover its expenditure. Out of the
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first ten thousand rectal swabs examined at the Bacteriological Institute, during a period, be it said, of cholera prevalence, only one proved positive. This was quite understandable, for to produce a growth two prerequisites are essential; firstly the media used must be suitable and the swab must not have dried off after removal from the rectum before being applied to the culture tube. No steps were taken in the one instance mentioned, although it would only be fair to record the fact that several contacts with cholera patients who were alleged to be carriers were detained for varying periods at the Infectious Diseases Hospitals in Kennedy Town and Lai Chi Kok. It should, also, be noted that very large numbers of cholera inoculations were given free at ferry crossings and in the streets, but no amount of protests and repre- sentations on the part of the writer were successful in persuading the Authorities to order these inoculation units to take aseptic precautions, although a tre- mendous improvement was noted on occasions. It is hardly to be wondered at, under these circumstances, that all who could afford the fee charged at special inoculation centres were glad to avoid being pricked with a needle that had already done service on a half dozen or more persons without previous sterilization. Many inflamed arms and abscesses were encountered following these mass infected inoculations.
(c) CHEMICAL LABORATORY
The Chemical Laboratory was taken over by the Japanese Military Authorities soon after the surrender in 1941 and ceased to be available for the examination of works. samples, food, drugs or biochemical work. In the middle of 1942, however, the writer was able to persuade the Japanese Medical Authorities that such laboratory facilities would be of considerable assistance and could be made self-supporting by charging fees for reports on drugs. X etc. As a result and since the Military Authorities refused any co-operation, a duplicate laboratory was fitted out in the same building and at considerable expense, although the bulk of the actual chemicals and apparatus had been seized from enemy sources in the town. In view of the high prices charged for drugs (the importation of which ceased when the Colony was captured, with the exception of a relatively small quantity of Japanese origin), the counterfeiting of drugs like atebrine, quinine, sulfanilamide and vitamins became very prevalent. To give an example, eight out of ten samples of sulfapyridine which the writer needed for outbreaks of dysentery (especially in Shamshuipo Military Internment Camp) proved to be inert or heavily adulterated. The testing of powder, tablets and solutions purporting to contain
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