114
516
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
buried in the Roman Catholic cemeteries. These documents afford the following results:-
Buried in the colonial burial-ground in 1848-
Civilians
Merchant seamen
Naval seamen
Buried in the Roman Catholic ground
Civilians of all classes
Total.
20 25 18 53 35 88If from these the seamen, whose diseases are for the most part imported, and who cannot be regarded as belonging to the fixed population of the colony, be excepted, the deaths of civilians would be reduced to 55, which would give a proportion of mortality in relation to the fixed European population of 5.7 per cent.
I allow the Registrar-General's statistics, however, preference to my own, and have constructed my table on the basis of his calculations; but the discrepancy is inexplicable.
TABLE NO. 11. The entire Population of Hong Kong, and Proportion of Deaths amongst People of all Nations, in 1847 and 1848.
Year. Entire Population. Number of Deaths of Persons of all Nations. Proportion of Deaths to Population. Per Cent. 1847. 23,872 282 1.14 1848 21,514 384 1.78It appears that in the year 1848, as compared with 1847, the population was less, and the mortality greater. In the year 1847, Manchester, which is remarkable for being exempt from the invasions of epidemics, experienced a relative mortality exceeding the average of years, in consequence of the influx of Irish, retreating from the "famine:" in that year, therefore, the proportion of mortality was 4.9 per cent. The average proportion of mortality in Manchester is about 3.1 per cent. per annum; which is only a little below the average proportion of mortality amongst Europeans in Hong Kong. In the face of these facts, policies of life-insurances continue to be 100 per cent higher in Hong Kong than in Manchester.
My friend Dr. Harland, of the Seaman's Hospital, has kindly furnished me with a tabular view of his practice in that institution, during the year 1848; whereby it appears that there were 203 cases treated, and 30 deaths occurred.
Dr. Harland says, "According to the above table, the mortality for 1848 is 14.77 per cent, being an increase over that of 1847, when it was 11.02 per cent., and less than in 1846, when it amounted to 21.14 per cent.
The mortality from some of the diseases appears excessive, especially in cases of pneumonia and acute dysentery.
"Intermittent fever has been by far the most prevalent disease during the year; for many patients have been attacked with it whilst under treatment for other diseases, besides the comparatively large number of cases admitted directly, under this head. In the month of August particularly, in one of the wards exposed to the south-west wind, blowing down the gap opposite the hospital, every patient, during the same afternoon, was seized with ague, and had repeated attacks, notwithstanding the use of quinine, until removed into another ward not similarly exposed. After removal they quickly got well, and no case occurred at the time in any other ward, that being the only one so exposed."
My friend Dr. Peter Young favours me with the following statement of his views and experience of disease prevailing during the past year:-
"Remittent and intermittent fevers have generally been mild and amenable to treatment. Those cases which terminated fatally lost their remittent type, and passed into a continued and typhoid character. Dysentery has never presented itself to me in the acute form ascribed to it by Eastern
114
516
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
buried in the Roman Catholic cemeteries. These documents afford the fol- lowing results:-
Buried in the colonial burial-ground in 1848-
Civilians
❤
Merchant seamen
Naval seamen
Buried in the Roman Catholic ground
Civilians of all classes
Total.
20
25
18
53
35
88
If from these the seamen, whose diseases are for the most part imported, and who cannot be regarded as belonging to the fixed population of the colony, be excepted, the deaths of civilians would be reduced to 55, which would give a proportion of mortality in relation to the fixed European population of 5-7 per cent.
I allow the Registrar-General's statistics, however, preference to my own, aud have constructed my table on the basis of his calculations; but the discrepancy is inexplicable.
TABLE NO. 11. The entire Population of Hong Kong, and Proportion of Deaths amongst People of all Nations, in 1847 and 1848.
Year.
Entire Population.
Number of Deaths | Proportion of
of Persons of all
Deaths Nations.
to Population.
Per Cent,
1847.
1848
23,872
21,514
282
1.14
384
1.78
It appears that in the year 1848, as compared with 1847, the population was less, and the mortality greater. In the year 1847, Manchester, which is remarkable for being exempt from the invasions of epidemics, experienced a relative mortality exceeding the average of years, ia consequence of the influx of Irish, retreating from the "famine:" in that year, therefore, the proportion of mortality was 4.9 per cent. The average proportion of mortality in Man- chester is about 3.1 per cent. per annum; which is only a little below the average proportion of mortality amongst Europeans in Hong Kong. In the face of these facts, policies of life-insurances continue to be 100 per cent higher in Hong Kong than in Manchester.
My friend Dr. Harland, of the Seaman's Hospital, has kindly furnished me with a tabular view of his practice in that institution, during the year 1848; whereby it appears that there were 203 cases treated, and 30 deaths occurred.
Dr. Harland says, "According to the above table, the mortality for 1848 is " 14.77 per cent, being an increase over that of 1847, when it was 11·02 per "cent., and less than in 1846, when it amounted to 21.14 per cent.
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The mortality from some of the diseases appears excessive, especially in " cases of pneumonia and acute dysentery.
**
"Intermittent fever has been by far the most prevalent disease during the year; for many patients have been attacked with it whilst under treatment "for other diseases, besides the comparatively large number of cases admitted "directly, under this head. In the month of August particularly, in one of "the wards exposed to the south-west wind, blowing down the gap opposite "the hospital, every patient, during the same afternoon, was seized with ague, " and had repeated attacks, notwithstanding the use of quinine, until removed "into another ward not similarly exposed. After removal they quickly got "well, and no case occurred at the time in any other ward, that being the only
one so exposed."
(C
My friend Dr. Peter Young favours me with the following statement of his views and experience of disease prevailing during the past year:-
"Remittent and intermittent fevers have generally been mild and amenable "to treatment. Those cases which terminated fatally lost their remittent type, and passed into a continued and typhoid character. Dysentery has "never presented itself to me in the acute form ascribed to it by Eastern
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