540102-1905-Report-on-the-Epidemic-of-Plague-during-the-year-1904 — Page 3

Government Gazette 政府憲報 轅門報 All

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 2ND JUNE, 1905.

Types of the Disease.

The classification of plague into the three types-Bubonie, Septic and Pneu- monic-is to a great extent arbitrary but is useful.

According to this classification the type of this year's epidemic is chiefly

Bubonic.

The following are the figures:-

Males,

Females,

Bubonic.

Septic.

Pneumonic Total.

195

101

13

309

108

47

163

Total,...... 303

148

21

472

Reduced to percentages the figures are as follows :-

Bubonic.

Septic.

Pneumonic.

Males.............

63.1

32.6

42

Females,........

66.2

28.8

4.9

Total,...... 64.2

313

44

During last year's epidemic these types were on record only in the case of bodies reported by the Public Mortuary to the number of 983, made up of 624 males and 359 females

A percentage table compiled from the 1903 record similarly to the table of types given above shews the following result: -

Males, Females,

Total,

Bubonic. ..59.1

Septic.

Pneumonic.

35.9

48

.64.9

30.9

4.1

.......613

34·0

45

This last table is not quite comparable with the one for 1904 as it only deals with a certain number of fatal cases, whereas the 1904 table takes in every case recorded.

It is worthy of note, however, that the highest percentage in both years is that for the Bubonic type in females, and also that the Pneumonic type is fairly con- stant throughout.

I am quite aware that both clinically and pathologically it is difficult to draw a hard and fast line between the Bubonic and Septicamic types of plague, but this difficulty must be found equally whatever the sex of the patient or cadaver. I therefore think it well worth while to record in the following table the percentage numbers of males and females in corresponding age groups classified according to the types Bubonic, Septic and Pneumonic plague.

1

757

BUBONIC.

CASES.

PER CENT.

CASES.

SEPTIC.

PER CENT.

PNEUMONIC.

CASES.

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