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Plague season which in this Colony is March to July; (4) the encouraging of the community to keep cats; (5) the systematic cleansing and washing out of all native dwellings at least once in three months with a flea killing preparation. For this purpose an emulsion of kerosene is used. It is prepared by boiling in a steam jacketed container 41⁄2 gallons of kerosene with 9 gallons of water and 11⁄2lbs. of soft soap; this mixture is highly inflammable and it is essential therefore that the boiling should be done by steam and not by the direct flame: the emulsion mixes readily with water and one gallon is added to every 100 gallons of water used for cleansing the houses and washing the floors, skirtings, bed-boards, staircases, furniture, etc.; (6) an efficient daily scavenging of all streets and lanes and the removal of refuse daily from all houses coupled with the provision of covered metal dust-bins for all houses, to reduce as far as possible the amount of food available for rats; (7) the disinfection of plague-infected premises by stripping them and washing them out thoroughly with the kerosene emulsion coupled with the disinfection of all bedding, clothing, carpets, rugs, etc., by superheated steam. No objection is raised to the treatment of Bubonic Plague cases in native hospitals, and no restrictions are imposed in regard to the burial of those dead of Plague, except the provision of a substantial coffin, while every effort is made by means of lectures, addresses and explanations to induce the native population to participate in the above preventive measures.
All the cases of Plague, 25 in number, occurred among Chinese and 23 of them died, so that the case mortality was 92 per cent.: their monthly distribution is shown in Table II.
During the year 56,001 rats were caught or found dead in the City of Victoria and 21,754 in Kowloon, a total of 77,755 as against 76,135 in 1909. Those from the City were examined by the Government Bacteriologist, Dr. Macfarlane, at the Public Mortuary and those in Kowloon by Dr. Pearse, the Assistant Medical Officer of Health, with the result that 107 of those from the City and 13 of those from Kowloon were found to be infected with Plague. It was somewhat remarkable that throughout the whole of the year 1909 there was a marked preponderance of female over male rats caught, the numbers for the City being 28,946 males and 31,167 females, whereas during 1910 the numbers were practically equal there having been 27,869 males and 27,802 females.
Table III shows the monthly distribution of the plague-infected rats during the year.
Typhoid Fever.
The number of cases of this disease during the year was 67 as compared with 75 during 1909 and 38 in 1908: 17 of the cases were imported, namely, 10 Europeans, 3 Chinese, 2 Indians, 1 Japanese and 1 Asiatic Portuguese. The cases of European or American nationality numbered 25, while the Chinese cases numbered 33, and 9 cases occurred amongst the other Asiatic races in the Colony. Three of the European cases, three of the "other Asiatic" cases and 22 of the Chinese cases died. The case mortality among the European cases was therefore 12 per cent.
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L 18
Plague season which in this Colony is March to July; (4) the en- couraging of the community to keep cats; (5) the systematic cleans- ing and washing out of all native dwellings at least once in three months with a flea killing preparation. For this purpose an emulsion of kerosene is used. It is prepared by boiling in a steam jacketed con- tainer 41 gallons of kerosene with 9 gallons of water and 15ths, of soft soap; this mixture is highly inflammable and it is essential there- fore that the boiling should be done by steam and not by the direct flame: the emulsion mixes readily with water and one gallon is added to every 100 gallons of water used for cleansing the houses and wash- ing the floors, skirtings, bed-boards, staircases, furniture, etc.; (6) an efficient daily scavenging of all streets and lanes and the removal of refuse daily from all houses coupled with the provision of covered metal dust-bins for all houses, to reduce as far as possible the amount of food available for rats; (7) the disinfection of plague-infected premises by stripping them and washing them out thoroughly with the kerosene emulsion coupled with the disinfection of all bedding. clothing, carpets, rugs, etc., by superheated steam. No objection is raised to the treatment of Bubonic Plague cases in native hospitals, and no restrictions are imposed in regard to the burial of those dead of Plague, except the provision of a substantial coffin, while every effort is made by means of lectures, addresses and explanations to induce the native population to participate in the above preventive mea-
sures.
All the cases of Plague, 25 in number, occurred among Chinese and 23 of them died, so that the case mortality was 92 per cent.: their monthly distribution is shown in Table II.
During the year 56,001 rats were caught or found dead in the City of Victoria and 21,754 in Kowloon, a total of 77,755 as against 76,135 in 1909. Those from the City were examined by the Government Bacteriologist, Dr. Macfarlane, at the Public Mortuary and those in Kowloon by Dr. Pearse, the Assistant Medical Officer of Health, with the result that 107 of those from the City and 13 of those from Kowloon were found to be infected with Plague. It was somewhat remarkable that throughout the whole of the year 1909 there was a marked preponderance of female over male rats caught, the numbers for the City being 28,946 males and 31,167 females, whereas during 1910 the numbers were practically equal there having been 27,869 males and 27,802 females.
Table III shows the monthly distribution of the plague-infected rats during the year.
Typhoid Fever.
The number of cases of this disease during the year was 67 as compared with 75 during 1909 and 38 in 1908: 17 of the cases were imported, namely, 10 Europeans, 3 Chinese, 2 Indians, 1 Japanese and 1 Asiatic Portuguese. The cases of European or American nationality numbered 25, while the Chinese cases numbered 33, and 9 cases occurred amongst the other Asiatic races in the Colony. Three of the European cases, three of the "other Asiatic cases and 22 of the Chinese cases died. The case mortality among the European cases was therefore 12 per cent.
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