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*again an opportunity of examining some cases in a
Chinese Hospital situated inside the North Gate of the city. The cases were all of a milder character than those we had seen the previous week. The native Doctor in charge informed us that whereas the patients he treated at the outset of the epidemic died at the rate of about 80 per cent, the mortality has declined to about 25 per cent, and he seemed to be of opinion that the disease was declining. Since then the disease has extended to other parts of the city, and also to Honam. We have had no opportunity of examining cases recently but from what we can gather it appears to have
in no way diminished either in frequency or severity.
It is impossible to obtain reliable statistics as to
the mortality and we therefore refrain from expressing
our opinion on this point. We believe, however, that
it is mucn exaggerated on account of the dread enter-
tained by the natives towards a disease with the nature
of which they are unacquainted. Remarks:- The disease
is evidently similar to or identical with that which
under the name of the 'Great Plague of London' proved
so fatal to the inhabitants of that city on 1365. It
has been described by Baber, Rocher, Bourne and other
travellers in Western China, and also very fully by
Dr Lowry as observed by him in Pakhoi in 1882 (vide Customs Medical Report No. 24). It is usually known as the "bubonic plague". It does not appear to be very contagious except to those living in the same houses or under the same conditions as those suffering
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