origin. The total number of deaths was 1,983, that for 1930 being 1,994. The death rate per mille was 2.60 as compared with 2.62 for the previous year. It is estimated that for every death there are at least ten persons suffering from open tuberculosis which means that during the year under discussion there were 20,000 cases, each spreading infection.
6. There are no sanatoria and no infirmaries other than the Chinese Hospitals where poor tuberculosis patients could find shelter and treatment and where at least they would cease to be a danger to others. During the year the Tung Wah Hospital provided 36 beds. It is hoped that when the new Government Civil Hospital is built there will be accommodation for a number of cases of this disease.
7. Malaria.—Malaria which in the early days of the Colony was the chief cause of sickness and of death has disappeared from the thickly populated urban districts as a result of efficient drainage. It still persists in the suburbs and in the rural areas. The cases admitted to the Government Hospitals numbered 586 of which 8 or 1.36 per cent died. In the Chinese Hospitals there were 1,001 admissions with a case mortality rate of 25.57 per cent.
8. The total number of deaths attributed to this disease was 452, giving a death rate of 0.60 per mille population. The lowness of the rate is, of course, due to the fact that the majority of the population, being outside the radius of flight of malaria carrying anophelines, is not subject to risks of attack.
9. The Medical Officer in charge of Kowloon Mortuary reports that in 399 consecutive bodies sent to the Mortuary for examination 97 or 24.25 per cent had spleens twice the normal size or larger.
10. During the year the Malaria Bureau continued its researches and co-operated both with the Military Authorities and the Public Works Department.
11. It is pleasing to be able to report that during the investigations carried out by the Bureau the staff experienced no opposition from the local Chinese; on the contrary both adults and children showed great interest in the proceedings and were eager to help. This is very satisfactory for there were those who predicted that there would be considerable opposition from the people, especially those of the New Territories.
12. Infectious Diseases.—There was no serious epidemic of infectious diseases during the year under discussion. There were a number of cases of diphtheria with evidence indicating that the source of infection was a local dairy. Pasteurisation of the milk had satisfactory results,