M 38.
113. The number of cases treated in the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital where Western methods only are practised was 8 with 2 deaths. The case death rate was 25 per cent. The number of cases treated in the Tung Wah Infectious Diseases Hospital by Chinese methods was 77 with 44 deaths. The case death rate was 57 per cent.
114. During the last 21 years 288 cases were treated at the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital by Western treatment with a death rate of 14.2 per cent. During the same period at the Tung Wah Infectious Diseases Hospital 1,249 cases were treated by Chinese herbalists' methods with a death rate of 46.8 per cent.
These figures should convince any open-minded person that the supposed superiority of Chinese treatment over Western treatment is a myth.
115. During the year immune calf serum was given to a number of patients at the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital in the hope that it would favourably influence the course of the disease. In two severe cases the result appeared to be beneficial but the number of cases was not sufficient to draw definite conclusions.
116. The fear expressed by some of the Chinese that the withdrawal by the Sanitary Board of the privilege granted to the people of keeping the sick in their houses would result in increased concealment has not been realised. On the contrary, the figures show a decrease.
Plague.
117. For the last three years no case of plague, human or rodent, has been reported in the Colony. The disease has disappeared from Hong Kong and the same may be said of South China. The rat population is much the same as it was and so far as we know there is no change in quantity or quality in the flea population. The sanitary conditions in Hong Kong are generally better than they were but in the majority of Chinese towns there is little change. We must accept the fact that the rise and fall in plague figures has not been satisfactorily explained. We know that plague is primarily a disease of rats communicated to man through the rat flea, but we have to admit that we know little of the reason for the rise and fall in the incidence of disease among rodents.
118. Many attempts have been made to show a relation between meteorological conditions and plague prevalence. Otten of Java records that his findings with reference to meteorological conditions are just the opposite to the findings of observers in British India. The truth appears to be that though meteorological conditions do have a distinct bearing on the life histories of rats and fleas, the most important factor in the plague problem...
M 38.
113. The number of cases treated in the Government In- fectious Diseases Hospital where Western methods only are prac- tised was 8 with 2 deaths. The case death rate was 25 per cent. The number of cases treated in the Tung Wah Infectious Dis eases Hospital by Chinese methods was 77 with 44 deaths. The case death rate was 57 per cent.
114. During the last 21 years 288 cases were treated at the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital by western treatment with a death rate of 14.2 per cent. During the same period at the Tung Wah Infectious Diseases Hospital 1,249 cases were treated by Chinese herbalists methods with a death rate of 46.8 per cent
These figures should convince any open minded person that the supposed superiority of Chinese treatment over Western treatment is a myth.
115. During the year immune calf serum was given to a number of patients at the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital in the hope that it would favourably influence the course of the disease. In two severe cases the result appeared to be beneficial but the number of cases was not sufficient to draw definite conclusions.
116. The fear expressed by some of the Chinese that the withdrawal by the Sanitary Board of the privilege granted to the people of keeping the sick in their houses would result in increas- ed concealment has not been realized. On the contrary, the figures show a decrease.
Plague.
117. For the last three years no case of plague, human or rodent, has been reported in the Colony. The disease has dis- appeared from Hong Kong and the same may be said of South China. The rat population is much the same as it was and so far as we know there is no change in quantity or quality in the flea population. The sanitary conditions in Hong Kong are generally better than they were but in the majority of Chinese towns there is little change. We must accept the fact that the rise and fall in plague figures has not been satisfactorily explained. We know that plague is primarily a disease of rats communicated to man through the rat flea, but we have to admit that we know little of the reason for the rise and fall in the incidence of disease among rodents.
118. Many attempts have been made to show a relation be- tween meteorological conditions and plague prevalence. Otten of Java records that his findings with reference to meteorological conditions are just the opposite to the findings of observers in British India. The truth appears to be that though meteorologi- cal conditions do have a distinct bearing on the life histories of rats and fleas, the most important factor in the plague problem
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