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population is constantly receiving additions from the mainland of China, and the resident Chinese pay somewhat frequent visits to their native land, but for the purposes of comparison the figures given are fairly reliable as an indication of the effect of the anti-malarial measures undertaken in the Colony.
Hygiene is taught systematically in all the schools in the Colony and special attention is paid to the teaching of the mode of conveyance of the infection of Malaria by the mosquito and the manner in which the mosquito breeds.
The Military return of admissions for Malaria is by far the lowest on record due undoubtedly to the active anti-malarial measures now adopted.
Year. Strength. Admissions for Malaria, European Troops. Admissions. Deaths. Invalided. Ratio per 1,000. 1900, 1,484 629 423.8 1901, 1,673 1,010 603.7 1902, 1,381 1,523 6 1,102.8 1903, 1,220 937 9 768.0 1904, 1,426 390 1 273.5 1905, 1,370 348 254.0 1906, 1,525 480 15 314.7 1907, 1,461 287 12 196.0 1908, 2,012 515 17 256.0 1909, 1,943 269 10 138.4 Average 228.4 Average 624.8There was again a marked diminution of admissions for Malaria amongst the Native Troops, there being only 104 admissions from this disease during 1909. The ratio of admissions per 1,000 for the last three years were 574 in 1907, 102.8 in 1908 and only 54.3 in 1909.
Beri-Beri.
There were 545 deaths (736 in 1908 and 562 in 1907) from this disease during the year, of which 3 only were among the Non-Chinese community; one of them was an Indian destitute, the second was a Japanese sailor and the third a Japanese tallyman. Attention has been drawn to the fact that the cause of this disease is probably due to the eating of white or polished rice, and further investigations are being made into this subject.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The total number of cases of infectious disease notified during the year was 292 (1,668 in 1908) of which 135 were of Plague.