Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL.
(B.) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION,
During the year under review considerable progress has been made in rendering existing domestic buildings rat proof as a preventive of plague; 370 ground surfaces of houses have been repaired, and 1,201 buildings have had rat-runs filled up with cement. In addition 44 basements illegally inhabited have been vacated:
New buildings (domestic) to the number of 142 were erected during the year and in these the effect of the present ordinance is seen in the increased amount of open space about the houses, which the law requires. Scavenging lanes which have to be provided in the rear of new houses also increase the open space about them and tend to reduce surface crowding.
During the year there were 198 deaths from plague, compared with 842 in 1906 and 287 in 1905.
There were 1,825 deaths from respiratory diseases amongst the Chinese; 655 of these deaths were due to phthisis, a percentage of 9.6 of the total deaths amongst that community.
Beri-beri caused 562 deaths—a high figure.
The deaths from malaria were 579, as against 448 in 1906 and 287 in 1905, an increase which it is hoped will only be temporary. The average number of deaths from this disease has fallen from 526 in the quinquennium 1898 to 1902 to 383 in the quinquennium 1903-1907. Military returns of admissions to hospital for malaria show a marked reduction in the incidence of this disease, as will be seen from the subjoined table:
Year Strength Admissions Deaths Ratio per 1,000 1898 1,569 595 10 379.3 1899 1,643 829 504.6 1900 1,484 629 423.8 1901 1,673 1,010 603.7 1902 1,381 1,523 1,102.8 1903 1,220 937 768.0 1904 1,426 390 273.5 1905 1,370 348 7 254.0 1906 1,525 480 314.75 1907 1,461 267 196.00(C.) CLIMATE.
The average monthly temperature throughout the year was 72.2° F., as compared with 71.8° F. in 1906 and 72.0° F. during the ten preceding years. The maximum monthly temperature was attained in July, when it reached 87.1° F., and the...