T
352
It appears to me that the questions of most importance to be answered are:----
2. Is it possible by any legislative means to check the spread of this fearful scourge?
“
States slip Delaware, on the eve of his departure from the Colony, he 1. Does Syphilitic discase left unchecked inflict serious injury not only on the individual infected, "Station in the Spring of 1868, I have been struck with the benefit derived from the system of says: "Since my arrival on this but on generations unborn?
Registration and Inspection of public women, so ably carried out in this Colony ". "visits to Hongkong, but few have been infected, and the type of the disease is very mild "......" Out of “During our "a crew of 470 men, only five cases of Chancre have been noticed." But the whole letter deserves to be carefully perused and I think, coming as it does from a perfectly independent source, it is one of the most valuable testimonies that could be adduced in support of the good results of the system. And if we turn to Table X., we find that the type of the discase must have equally improved; at least the average duration of treatment, which may be considered to be a fair test of the severity of a case, has diminished from 48.8 days in 1868 to 24.8 in 1869. I admit that the working of the Ordinance is by no means perfect, and I am still of opinion that all prostitutes, whether in so called purely Chinese houses, or others, should be examined. In this opinion I am not supported by some of those who are supposed to be peculiarly conversant with the habits of the natives, and in deference to their opinion hose houses are exempted from the action of the Ordinance. But, independently of the question whether the Chinese are not equally entitled to share in its beneficial action, if its operation is really for good, I am confident that until all prostitutes are subject to the requirements of the Ordinance, will visit the houses of Europeans, although they may not admit them into the brothels, under the this result will be limited-for I am aware that the inmates of the so called purely Chinese brothels dread of losing their license.
The only question that remains to be referred to, and that very cursorily, is whether the Ordi- nance under discussion has had any effect in withdrawing the fear of syphilitic infection from those upon whom it has had a deterrent effect. Such an idea will not bear investigation. The frequenters of brothels are either under the influence of drink at the time, or have lost all dread of the conse quences and in no case I believe will young men be led into temptation for the first time because they can fall with impunity. As long as men are men, vice will continue, and it is clearly the duty of the legislature to protect, if not the actual traqsgressor, at all events the innocent, from the fearful consequences of discase.
Jud
3. How far can legislative interference be applied to the male as well as to the female sex? 4. What has been in this Colony the sanitary result of such interference? It will not be necessary to dilate on the first point. It is unfortunately too well known how the victims of this loathsome disease are lowered in their moral and physical condition, how from symptom to symptom they may, after years of misery, sink finally into a premature' grave. But it is not per haps so well known that the wide spread scrofulous and consumptive taint of the human race is traced by some men of science to a syphilitic poison. Nor is it sufficiently recognized how such a poison coursing through the system, renders the infected person immeasurably more liable to and less able to resist the inroad of other diseases. This is a subject particularly important to the Residents of tropical climates; for could the united experience of medical practitioners in the tropics be reduced to a statistical form, it would prove not a little startling, to find how large a proportion of the mortality and invaliding could be traced directly, or remotely, to syphilitic discase.
That it is possible to a great extent to reduce, if not entirely prevent, the spread of this disease by legislative measures is a fact generally admitted by all unprejudiced persons. A most notable instance of this power was seen some years ago in Malta, where up to 1859 a strict system of super- vision and personal inspection was maintained and the discase was in consequence almost unknown. The system was then abandoned as it was found to be a "traditional abuse of power," which at last was resisted by the peculiar class of persons concerned, and Malta, for a time and until the passing of an Ordinance, became as bad as any other garrison town in respect to contagious disease. The same result cannot be shewn in Hongkong, but I shall be able presently to point out the great improvement that has resulted from legislative interference, not only in reducing the extent, but also the malignity The great outcry against the Contagious Diseases Acts now (for the old plea of the immorality of licensing vice has been partly abandoned) is that they deal unfairly in the case of the two sexes, and as the present opponents of these Acts.say, punish the comparatively innocent female and let her inore guilty partner in iniquity go free.
This is a great mistake on their part, for these Acts are not introduced for the purpose of punishment, but with the sole object of restricting the extent of con tagion and curing the disease. Moreover, in this Colony at least, the Acts are as far as practicable applied to the male sex equally. Thus before leave is granted to seamen of the Royal Navy they all undergo medical inspection and are detained on board if found diseased. By a very slight outlay aqactitioner, as to the cause of death, &c., which certificate shall be duly registered-aud until this similar inspection might be made of all merchant scamen, and I hope still to see that this will be con is done all statistical Returns can only be approximative to say the most for them. sidered to be one of the duties of the Health Officer or Officers of the Port. The whole of the Police
Table XII. gives the usual information regarding the work performed by the Inspector of Nui- Force undergo a similar examination once every month, and certainly the soldiers of the garrison might be equally examined. * Lastly, as if to inect the objections of those who consider these Acts Sauces attached to this Department. as one sided, it is especially provided in our local Ordinance, that all seamen known to be diseased,
Table XIII. shows the annual mean state of the atmosphere during the year 1869, as, recorded residing in any boarding house, must under a heavy penalty be reported to the Harbor Master for the at the Government Civil Hospital, purpose of transference to Hospital. There only remain therefore the higher class of transgressors against whom it is more difficult to proceed, and as if to balance this, the numerous Portuguese and European prostitutes who now frequent the Colony appear to be equally exempted from all interfer ence on the part of the Executive. And here a very important question presents itself, viz: whether The Honorable J. GARDINER AUSTIN, disease has increased among the class of young men who formerly frequented the native establisluments For
my own part
I am inclined to the opinion that it has so increased, but I am not prepared with statistics on this subject.
of the disease.
Lastly, I come to consider the question of the sanitary result of legislative interference in this Colony-and I am glad to be able to point to some very substantial benefits.
Table XI. hows the usual approximative estimate of the mortality among the Foreign Residents in Hongkong during the past twelve years. But as I have already stated at the commencement of this Report, the data from which this table is compiled are extremely defective. It does not include deaths among soldiers, sailors whether of the Navy or Merchant Service, nor those buried from the Hospitals, who are usually non-residents. No time should be lost in inaking some arrangement, by which every body for burial shall be accompanied by the certificate, of a properly qualified medical
Colonial Secretary.
Appendix A
J. I. MURRAY, M.D., Colonial Surgeon.
In 1859 I wrote: "Both among Naval and Military invalids the syphilitic amount to nearly 25 "per cent of the whole, and this is very nearly the same proportion in the Government Civil Hospital Ls showing the Numb of CASES OF PRIMARY VENEREAL DISEASE in the GARRISON during the undermentioned Years. "In one ship numbering in all 523 hands, of which 300 had been on the sick list, during the last "quarter, 77 of these were for venereal discases, being at the rate of 25.66 per cent of the total sick "or 14.72 per cent of the total strength, and that be it observed in one quarter. In the Government "Civil Hospital the proportion of venereal cases was 138 out of 591 admissions, being in the propor tion of 23.18 per cent." Now if the Returns accompanying this Report be contrasted with that former state of inatters, it is seen that during the year 1869, as the result of the working of the Com In the Government Civil Hospital tagious Discases Ordinance, that disease has greatly decreased. even in spite of the great number of cases sent by the Harbor Master, the per centage of syphiliti Bubo,
In the garrison, the per centage of primary disease to the total strength Syphilis Primary, cases was reduced to 15.82.
Gonorrhoea, was only 6.83, according to a Return compiled from data furnished to me by Dr. Heffernan, the Deputy
rchitis, Inspector General. In the Police, it was 16.66 against 31.00 per cent in 1862 as shown in Table
Phymosis and other, XV., and in a most interesting letter † addressed to me by Fleet Surgeon, Dr. Maccoun of the United
* Sir II. Storks recommends that the men should be examined at least once in seven days.
See Appendix A. 1 See Appendix I.
1887.
1808. ..
1860.
DISEASES.
Per
Per
Per
Euro-Asia- picans. ties.
of
peans. ties.
4
4
8 2
Total. Centage Furo- Asia- Total. Centag Euro-Asia-
of peans. ties. Strongth.
Strength.
0.69
Total.
Centage
of
Strength.
21
18
89 3.40
31
88
10 0.73 2.78
2
0.13
19
1.50
20
10
48
4.18
57
12
69 5.06
59
60
4.10
4
0.69
0-90
18
16
1.00
0.34
X
Total,.
62
45
107
0.32
100
135. 9.17 88
12 100 6.83
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