660361-1888-Small-pox-Epidemic — Page 3

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 28TH JANUARY, 1888.

English, Portuguese, and Chinese were freely circulated informing the public that vaccinations would be conducted daily at these institutions between the hours of 2 and 3 P.M.-Saturdays and Sundays excepted.

The Tung-wa Committee informed the Registrar General that their Doctors considered it unneces- sary to vaccinate every day, but that they would be happy to co-operate with the Board and vaccinate as often as possible. A notice in Chinese was at once issued by the Committee informing the public of the vaccination days in Victoria, Aberdeen, Yaumati, and Shaukiwán, and calling on persons of all ages to attend without delay. Parents were especially enjoined to bring their children. The Tung-wa Committee are themselves paying the gratuities offered to mothers for bringing their babies for fur- nishing the supply of lymph.

The following table shows the number of vaccinations already performed:-

Government Civil Hospital,

Alice Memorial Hospital,

Tung-wa Hospital:-

October 23rd, 1887, to January 21st, 1888,

Villages, by Tung-wa Doctors:-

180

206.

.1,055

225

Total,.......

......1,666

From October 23rd, 1887, to January 9th, 1888,

I have no information as to the percentage of successful vaccinations to operations performed. The scarcity of tube lymph has rendered it difficult for the various vaccinators to conduct as large a number of operations as would seem desirable, and the offering of a reward of $1 to parents, for allowing the withdrawal of lymph from their children after a successful operation, has only met with a limited degree of success.

The Board is indebted to the Manager of the Hongkong Dispensary for much information con- cerning the supplies of lymph expected to arrive during the next few months, and, for placing at its disposal on very liberal terms, 100 tubes of Japanese calf lymph which has been chiefly employed by the Colonial Surgeon and the Superintendent of the Civil Hospital as a source of supply for the vac- cination of the Police and the prisoners in Victoria Gaol.

4.- LYMPH SUPPLY AND CULTIVATION.

Messrs. A. S. WATSON and Co. state in reply to an enquiry by the Board that, 500 tubes of infant lymph or part thereof will probably arrive by the next English Mail, and that 12 tubes will arrive by every succeeding Contract Mail for one month, after which 100 tubes will arrive by every English and French Mail.

In addition to this, the Government are obtaining from Australia through the assistance of Messrs. BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE 30 tubes of calf lymph which will probably arrive by the S.S. Chingtu within a fortnight. A further supply is also expected by every "China Navigation steamer leaving Australia within two months after the departure of the Chingtu.

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An experiment is being made by the Inspector of Live Stock to cultivate calf lymph. Two calves have been obtained and lodged in the observation shed at Kennedy Town, but Mr. Ladds, who has used for the operations on these animals specimens representing two shipments of Japanese calf lymph, is as yet unable to speak positively as to the success or failure of the operations. If the calf lymph fails, it will be necessary to inoculate the animal with infant lymph.

5. DISINFECTION OF WASH-CLOTHES,

The native washermen were summoned by the Registrar General more than a week ago, and examined as to the practicability of this measure and all expressed their readiness to disinfect the various clothes sent to their establishment to be washed. Accordingly, a 2 gallon jar of Jeyes' Fluid with instructions in Chinese as to its use as a disinfectant of laundry-linen has been issued to each washermen to the number of more than 60. The Registrar General has made arrangements for the regular visitation by the District watchmen of the wash-houses to see that the instructions of the Board are carried out. To prevent damage being done to articles of a delicately coloured nature, which can, with no great difficulty be washed by household servants, a notification has been issued warning the public to exercise judgment in sending such fabrics to the laundries.

6.-DISINFECTION OF HOUSES, &c.

As a general rule whenever a case of small-pox has occurred in a house the room vacated by the patient is at once fumigated by burning sulphur "therein. In some cases this fumigation is not done until many days have clapsed since the disease first made its appearance. This is due to the fact that in a large percentage of cases, the patient remains under treatment in the house and consequently no disinfection of the tenement is possible until the patient has recovered. In some Chinese cases the registration of the death is the only notification, consequently a delay of several days may occur be- tween the date of the removal of the body and the day of fumigation.