M (1) 9
made when evidence of infection is found in the specimen. The next step taken is to fill up the rat holes with broken glass and cement, whatever may be found amiss with the drains and gratings is remedied, rat poison is provided for the occupiers to use; in the event of several infected rats being found in one locality a special survey is made from house to house and special attention is given to the cleaning up of the district; poison, traps, and birdlime are resorted to, the value of cats as destroyers of rats inculcated, and there is no dearth of dogs of every variety. Direct action is taken against fleas by the use of a kerosine emulsion for cleansing all native dwellings once every three months; the streets and lanes are cleaned up and all refuse removed from the houses daily; each house is provided with a covered metal dust bin to contain the rubbish and to prevent rats from feeding on it; any house or building in which infection has been found to exist is thoroughly washed with kerosine emulsion and all articles of clothing &c., are disinfected by steam.
Rats probably enter the colony by means of the shipping, especially in junks. At present it seems that to disinfect all junks periodically and kill the rats and fleas would require a large organisation for the purpose as some four or five thousand junks would have to be dealt with.
A point of interest in the diagnosis of the disease has been noted by Dr. C. W. McKenny who states that he has seen about twelve cases which were proved to be infected with plague in which there was a small area of skin, dark in colour and necrosed, situated generally on the buttocks or the back, although not necessarily restricted to these parts. The material obtained from such areas by means of an incision was found to contain the organisms of plague in large numbers. This necrosed patch may be the only sign of plague but buboes may be present as well. The condition is said to be a rare one and all of the patients who were affected in this manner, died.
Dysentery. For the most part cases of this disease belong to the amoebic variety; practically in every case in which the clinical signs of dysentery occur the entamoeba histolytica is found, and treatment by ipecacuanha or emetin is generally successful. Although dysentery is not as common in this colony as it is in parts of India and Africa it is still a disease which is often encountered. Amongst Europeans it is more common in children than in adults, and all of the cases which I have seen in children have been due to the amoeba and all were cured by emetin. Emetin seems to be more efficient even in the treatment of amoebic dysentery in children than it is in adults. As compared with this variety of dysentery the number of cases in which the bacillary form was the cause has been small, but this refers more particularly to the European population.
The number of patients treated for dysentery in the Tung Wah Hospital during the last five years (1918-1922 inclusively) was 1,376; and the number treated in two of the government hospitals during the same period was 301. The percentage of patients who
J
M (1) 9
made when evidence of infection is found in the specimen. The next step taken is to fill up the rat holes with broken glass and cement, whatever may be found amiss with the drains and gratings is remedied, rat poison is provided for the occupiers to use; in the event of several infected rats being found in one locality a special survey is made from house to house and special attention is given to the cleaning up of the district; poison, traps, and birdlime are resorted to, the value of cats as destroyers of rats inculcated, and there is no dearth of dogs of every variety. Direct action is taken against fleas by the use of a kerosine emulsion for cleansing all native dwellings once every three months; the streets and lanes are cleaned up and all refuse removed from the houses daily; each house is provided with a covered metal dust bin to contain the rubbish and to prevent rats from feeding on it; any house or building in which infection has been found to exist is thoroughly washed with kerosine emulsion and all articles of clothing &c., are disinfected by steam.
Rats probably enter the colony by means of the shipping, especially in junks. At present it seems that to disinfect all junks periodically and kill the rats and fleas would require a large organisation for the purpose as some four or five thousand junks would have to be dealt with.
A point of interest in the diagnosis of the disease has been noted by Dr. C. W. McKenny who states that he has seen about twelve cases which were proved to be infected with plague in which there was a small area of skin, dark in colour and necrosed, situated generally on the buttocks or the back, although not necessarily restricted to these parts. The material obtained from such areas by means of an incision was found to contain the organisms of plague in large numbers. This necrosed patch may be the only sign of plague but buboes may be present as well. The condition is said to be a rare one and all of the patients who were affected in thus manner, died.
Dysentery. For the most part cases of this disease belong to the amoebic variety; practically in every case in which the clinical signs of dysentery occur the entamoeba histolytica is found, and treatment by ipecacuanha or emetin is generally successful. Although dysentery is not as common in this colony as it is in parts of India and Africa it is still a disease which is often encountered. Amongst Europeans it is more common in children than in adults, and all of the cases which I have seen in children have been due to the amoeba and all were cured by emetin. Emetin seems to be more efficient even in the treatment of amoebic dysentery in children than it is in adults. As compared with this variety of dysentery the number of cases in which the bacillary form was the cause has been small, but this refers more particularly to the European population.
The number of patients treated for dysentery in the Tung Walı Hospital during the last five years (1918-1922 inclusively) was 1,376; and the number treated in two of the government hospitals during the same period was 301. The percentage of patients who
J
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.