916 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 19TH NOVEMBER, 1892.
the spherical and the cruciform bodies. Two, and even three, different varieties of this hæmatozoon had been described (polymorphism). Similar hæmatozoa had been found in different animals-frogs, lizards, marsh-tortoises, birds. In many species of birds there was to be found a homatozoon so similar to that of paludism, that most observers regarded the two forms as identical. The similarity was very marked, yet several points of difference existed: thus-in the blood of birds the cruciform bodies were not found; the parasitic elements were endoglobular, and never became free, as was often the case with the true paludic homatozoon; and the amoeboid movements of the spherical bodies were much less notable in the case of the organism found in birds' blood. On the other hand, this latter hæmatozoon had been observed in birds living in non-marshy regions; it frequently caused no inconvenience to its host, and the inoculation of blood containing this hæmatozoon had given only negative results.
Yet, the study of this organism might be expected to throw light upon many obscure points in the life-history of the true hematozoon of paludism, with which it presented so many points of similarity.
Professor CROOKSHANK said that the evidence was in favour of the bodies described by M. LAVERAN being the cause of malaria, but it must not be forgotten that bodies of a similar nature had been met with in healthy animals.
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Under the microscopes you will see speciinens of what I consider to be the " "hæmatozoa LAVERAN describes, they were prepared in exactly the same way, as described by him, but we must not forget that these hæmatozoa may simply be a concomitant of the disease, and not its cause. (See Plate A. in Appendix.*)
Before proceeding to consider the Clinical History, I will now place before you'the monthly tables of the Malarial Fever admissions to the Government Civil Hospital during the years 1888, 1889 and 1890.
From these it will be seen that in 1888 there were :--
Intermittent Fever, Remittent Fever,
Cases.
340 with
Deaths.
1
30.
2
370
In 1889 :-
Intermittent Fever, Remittent Fever,
384
0
99
37
9
92
421
9
11
In 1890:---
Intermittent Fever, Remittent Fever,
325
1
49
3
374
4
""
1889 is evidently the most fatal year and also that in which the greatest number of cases were admitted. Eight of the nine deaths in this year occurred after the great rain storm of May 29th, this enormous downpour of rain :-consisting of 33'.11 inches, from 3 A.M., on the 29th May, to 5 P.M. on the 30th, (thirty-eight hours in all), washed down great quantities of alluvial soil from the many land- slips on the hill sides and undoubtedly must have set free the Malarial poison to an abnormally great extent, or in a more virulent form than had existed for some years.
The remittent cases in the last six months of this year were of a particularly malignant type. (See Diagram B. in Appendix.)
Four of these virulent cases occurred amongst the European Police and were briefly as follows:-
1889.
I. ANGUS MCAULAY, P. Sergeant, æt. 34. Admitted 3rd June from Hung Hom Police Station,
died on the 10th at 4.30 A M.
II. JOHN HAMILTON, P.C., æt. 25, (only in Colony for a few months).
6th June, and died 2.35 A.M on the 7th June.
Admitted 9.50 p.m.
Temperature rising to 107°.4 shortly before death. He had been engaged on duty by the bridge over the Nullah Kennedy Road.
III. HUGH PARKER, P.C., æet. 23, Yaumati Station. Admitted 11th August, died 15th
August.
IV. D. MCDONALD, P.S., æt. 33. Central Station. Admitted 20th September, died 26th
September.
(The notes and chart of HUGH PARKER's case are given in the Appendix A.)
In 1890, there were at least six cases of the severe or malignant type of Remittent Fever, two of which proved fatal.
* Not printed.
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