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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference:
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C.O. 882
4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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per 1,000; but we look on these returns as calculated to mislead, as far as the Chinese are concerned, it not being even necessary for a Chinese doctor to certify to a death, the statement of any relation of the deceased being accepted,
The acknowledged causes of phthisis appear to exist in a greater degree among the criminal class outside than inside the gaol, such as impure air, scanty and unwholesome food, and deficient clothing, with the mental strain as to how each day's wants are to be provided for; it is not therefore surprising that, even on the diminished dietary scale for some time in force in the gaol, the prisoners, with few exceptions, increase in weight.
A cause, perhaps one of the most common, in originating and developing phthisis elsewhere is almost entirely foreign to the Chinese, i.e., "intemperance." It might be thought that “opium smoking" would take the place of alcohol in fostering the disease, but such does not seem to be the case, as we are told that the opium smokers who come into the gaol are, as a rule, too poor to afford sufficient opium to injure their health by its immediate effects; but cases have been seen who have starved themselves to procure the drug and as a consequence suffered from anemia and general debility.
We think it desirable to introduce here a table of the mortality from phthisis in Victoria Gaol as notified therein.
Daily Average Number of Prisoners in Victoria Gaol, during the following years.
In 1873
1874 » 1875
» 1876
19
1877
Now to consider the third question.
Number of prisoners who have died of Phthisis in Victoria Gaol.
388
1873
350
1874
374
1875
432
1876
395
1877
3
Nil.
Nil.
Nil.
Presuming that no traces of phthisis could be detected by the medical examination made-" the prisoners are always stripped and carefully examined when to be flogged on "the back; in most cases the stethescope and percussion of the chest is used "—prior to the infliction of the punishment, only two cases of that disease are known to have been developed: one Wong-a-Kwai, who was released by pardon this year and died a fortnight after leaving the gaol, and Leong-a-Loi, who is in gaol now.
Only one man died of phthisis in the gaol who had been flogged; he had only received seven strokes with the regulation cat (Leong-a-Loi, alias Mok-a-Kwai). He had been out of gaol for nine months, came back suffering from phthisis, and died while on remand.
No scars were discernible on his back, and the Colonial Surgeon considers it more probable that the disease was developed by the life he led when out of gaol than by the fogging he received.
Of fifteen cases of phthisis treated in the gaol during the term of office of the present Colonial Surgeon three of them had been flogged :-
1st. Wong-a-Kwai, who died a fortnight after release.
2nd. Leong-a-Loi, alias Mok-a-Kwai, who died in gaol. 3rd. Leong-a-Loi, still in gaol with confirmed phthisis.
Three others, who had been flogged prior to Dr. Ayres taking charge, were examined
by us on the 14th May and again on the 27th September :-
1st. Lee-a-Yee.
2nd. An-8-An.
3rd. Im-a-Man.
These cases give no physical signs of phthisis, but Im-a-Man has lost 7 lbs. in weight in four months, and An-a-An 15lbs. Lee-a-Yee cannot be accepted as a phthisical patient, although the following statement shows the severity of the floggings he has undergone :-
Lee-a-Yee received 90 lashes in three instalments in 1871, By order of Supreme
1873, Court. 1871,
"
"
90 12
"
"
"
at one time in
"2
36
"
"
"
"
12
11
"
"}
11
1874, J
In all 240 lashes.
1872, For prison offences.
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It may therefore be held that only one man has died from this cause, and he died out of gaol, and but one man is suffering from the disease; of course it may be said that many of those released who had been flogged have died of phthisis, but of this there is no proof.
It will be seen as follows:---
Number of prisoners flogged
70
Average number of prisoners in gaol
388
Number of prisoners who died of phthisis after flogging (the one
who died in gaol not counted)
-
1
Number of prisoners who died of phthisis who had not been
flogged
-
·
·
Of the three cases of phthisis out of fifteen, two only can be considered in our calculations.
These figures scarcely carry out the statements of the Colonial Surgeon, though they might give rise to a doubt as to whether the punishment should be inflicted on the back. At the time of our examination of the phthisical patients on the 14th May, we were informed that they did not require treatinent in hospital. A letter from the Colonial Surgeon, dated 22nd August, was handed to us, and on examining Leong-a-Loi Dr. O'Brien found him much reduced in weight and strength and expectorating purulent matter from an abscess at apex of the left lung.
Apart from the questions put by us to the Colonial Surgeon and the examination of the four men who had been flogged on the back, with imperfect statistics, we have little to guide us in the solution of the main question—“Does flogging on the back produce phthisis ?"
We are informed that the criminal classes in Hong Kong are less strong and less able to resist disease than Europeans, and they are considered more prone to phthisis. The former is doubtless true, but the latter has not been proved, and it seems strange that of the many ill consequences likely to follow severe wounds, such as are caused by the cat, that phthisis should be the only one known to have resulted.
Dr. O'Brien witnessed, and in fact was present in an official capacity, at flogginge in He also the earlier days of this Colony when the usual number of lashes was fifty. attended the inen afterwards, and noticed in several the symptoms described by the Colonial Surgeon, but attributed them rather to shock and pain arising from the irritation to the cutaneous and intercostal nerves than to congest on of the lungs. If the latter invariably followed the punishment, would it not speedily develope phthisis in those predisposed to it or in whom the disease was latent ? Even if no tendency to the disease existed, would it not happen that in a certain percentage of the cases (however small) the congestion would run on to inflammation instead of always ending in resolution ? Yet in no case did signs of phthisis become apparent until the lapse of six months after the punishment.
As previously stated, we find that Leong-a-Loi is suffering from phthisis, but we are not prepared to assert (neither do we deny the possibility) that the disease in him was induced or developed by the floggings he received.
We have enquired into the dietary, clothing, air space, ventilation, and amount of open air exercise afforded to the inmates of the gaol.
In regard to the air space, we find that in the cells where many prisoners are locked up together for the night, instead of at least from 1,000 to 1,200 cubic feet per man, the mind the fact of only allowance is actually only from 482 to 775,* and even hearing
barred gates separating the cells from the corridors, we do not consider the air space and ventilation what it should be.
In other respects, the sanitary arrangements of the gaol are good, the dry earth system recently introduced works well, and in fact every care is taken to carry out the prison discipline at present in force here in such a way as to leave little to be desired.
We have now to deal with the request to insert any remarks in further elucidation of the subject, which our investigations might enable us to make.
The experience of Deputy Inspector General Wells, during thirty-three years' service in the Royal Navy, has afforded him opportunities of judging of the effects of Bogging with the cat on the back and breech, the former in adults, the latter in boys; as also the effect of the birch since it has been introduced into the Navy for the punishment of juveniles.
• These figures are taken from Dr. Ayres' evidence, and, as he explains, they refer to the average cubic space of all cells including those for Europeans and Chiness.
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