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65. With regard to the prevalence of general or non-notifiable diseases the only incidence figures available are the returns of the Government Hospitals and the 'Western' clinics of the Chinese Hospitals, details of which are found in Appendices O and E of this report. The figures are, however, only a fraction of the whole, and too much importance should not be given to deductions made from them. Though year by year the value of 'Western' or scientific medicine is becoming more and more appreciated by the Chinese, the bulk of the population still pin their faith to the time-honoured decoctions prescribed by the numerous herbalists who practise in the Colony. There are no statistical figures to show either the nature of the diseases or the numbers treated by Chinese medicine.
66. In the absence of some general system of registration of sickness, the only sources of information available for gauging the state of the public health in this country are the returns relating to deaths, the notifications of infectious diseases, and the records of the above-mentioned hospitals.
67. The number of deaths recorded in Hong Kong indicates very correctly the deaths which have taken place in the Colony proper and in that portion of the New Territories known as New Kowloon. In the remaining portion of the New Territories, there is no registration, and records of the deaths are not available. Because of the strong desire of the Chinese to be buried with their ancestors, and the consequent exodus of many who feel death approaching, the number of deaths registered is lower than would otherwise be the case.
68. Judging from the death returns, the health of the Colony was not so good as in the previous year. The crude death rate was 24.88 per mille, as compared with 21.38, the revised rate for 1930.
69. Respiratory diseases accounted for 42.25 per cent of the total deaths, the percentage for 1930 being 38.95.
70. The principal diseases causing death were broncho-pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchitis, pneumonia, infantile diarrhoea, and diarrhoea.
71. The overcrowded houses, combined with the expectorating habits of the Chinese, furnish sufficient explanation for the prevalence of respiratory troubles.
Mosquito-borne Diseases.
72. The mosquito-borne diseases of the Colony are malaria, dengue, and filariasis. None of these are notifiable diseases, and complete incidence figures are not available.
73. Malaria.—In the early days of the Colony, malaria was rampant, being the chief cause of sickness and death. Today, owing to efficient drainage, there is practically no malaria in the