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The causes of death are in many instances only a guess for the cases are often only seen by a medical man after death and in the absence of any history accurate diagnoses are often impossible,
Many births are not registered and therefore the birth rate and the infantile mortality rate cannot be accurately computed.
The statisties regarding the number of cases of infectious disease are not cor- rect for most of the cases are not reported during life, and they become known to the authorities only when death occurs.
The Sale of Food and Drugs Ordinance.
The principal objects of this Ordinance are :—-
(a) to protect the Public from being defrauded by dishonest dealers
and manufacturers;
It
(b) to prevent the sale of foods which have added to them any ingre dient or material which renders such food injurious to health. has no connection with the sale of foods which are injurious to health through being decomposed or infected with the germs of communicable disease or infected with parasites communicable to irun.
In the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States the Sale of Food and Drugs Ordinance besides dealing with adulteration of foods and drugs makes provi- sion for :
(1) preventing the sale of foods and drugs which are unwholesome or
deleterious to health.
(2) Seizing and destroying any food or drug which is decayed or put-
refied.
(3) Securing the cleanliness and freedom from contamination of any food or drug in the course of its manufacture, preparation, storage, packing, delivery or exposure for sale.
(4) Securing the cleanliness of places, receptacles, and vehicles used in the manufacture, preparation, storage, packing, carriage or deli- very of any food or drug.
Under this Ordinance in the Federated Malay States there are special rules for the licensing and conduct of food factories and dairies.
The total samples taken in 1929 were milk 49, skimmed milk 2, tinned milk 23, tinned condensed milk 7, tinned butter S, fresh butter 21, cheese 13, tea 27. coffee 10, sugar 36, flour 31, and lard 6. The numbers are very small for a popula- tion of 900,000. The inference is that little action is taken under this Ordinance.
THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
There is no engineer attached to the Sanitary Department in the same way as the Medical Officer of Health or the Veterinary Surgeon is attached. All work of a sanitary engineering character is carried out independently by the Public Works De- partment.
The Director of Public Works is a member of the Sanitary Board but is in no way subject to directions from either the Sanitary Board or the Sanitary Department.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND BUILDINGS ORDINANCE,
In the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance one half of the definitions, one half of the sections and one third of the bye-laws are concerned with matters which are entirely or almost entirely within the province of the P.W.D.
There are 139 sections in Part III (Buildings) of the Public Health and Build- ings Ordinance. In 23 sections the authority lies with the Governor-in-Council, in 88
with the Director of Public Works either under his own title or that of Building Au- thority, in 12 cases the Sanitary Board is mentioned, in one case the Head of the Sanitary Department and in one case the Medical Officer of Health.
It would appear to be quite obvious that the P.W.D. is the authority on all matters connected with buildings even those affecting the Public Health and that neither the M.O.II. nor the Medical Department come into the picture.
In 1907 the D.P.W, having objected to the custom of referring plans of build- ings to the M.O.H. it was decided that only where the Building Authority deemed such a course necessary should they be submitted.
In a paper for the Colonial Office Conference 1927-Sir Wilfred Beveridge wrote "In the Medical Report of a Colony for 1925 we read the astounding state- ment the Medical Department has now no word to say legally, in the erection or reconstruction of buildings. In the Army no plan of construction is passed without the approval of the Director of Hygiene, and in civil life in England Medical Officers of Health of the districts concerned are responsible from the health point of view and they work in conjunction with the Public Works Department”.
"The Public Works Department in any Colony cannot afford to dispense with the services of the Medical Department, otherwise failure is inevitable".
This Colony has no Town Planning or Town Improvement Ordinance.—All matters which in another country would come under such an Ordinance are here dealt with departmentally by the Public Works Department; the Medical Department, the Sanitary Board and the Sanitary Department are not concerned.
In the Housing and Town Planning Acts of England, the Medical Officer of Health is specially mentioned, not once but more than a dozen times.
The Water Works Ordinance.
In the Water Works Ordinance which deals with what is generally considered to be one of the chief if not the chief public health factor in a community, the au- thority is the "Water Authority" which means the Director of Public Works or such other person or persons or body corporate as the Governor in Council may appoint to manage or supervise the water works or water supply.
Up to date the Water Authority has been the Director of Public Works. The Public Works Department, therefore, are responsible for the water supply of the Colony and neither the Medical Department, the Sanitary Board nor the Sanitary Department have any legal status.
The Bacteriological Institute and the Chemical Laboratory of the Medical De- partment take samples of the water and subject them to bacteriological and chemical analysis. The results are communicated to the Water Authority for his information.
All the water for Victoria and Kowloon is surface water which is filtered and finally chlorinated before delivery to the public. Some of the catchment areas are free from ordinary risks of pollution but Pokfulum catchment area cannot be said to be so free.
THE CHINESE HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
THE TUNG WAH.
The Tung Wah is a Chinese charitable organisation whose activities include assistance to the destitute, medical relief, maternity benefit, infant welfare, the burial of the dead, vaccination and health propaganda.
The Chinese Hospitals three in number are institutions whose relation to Gov- ernment have been established by a special Ordinance. They are subsidised by Gov- ernment, are subject to inspection by certain Government Officials, and each has a
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