and mineral have each, in their turn been represented as the cause of fever. Some say the sole cause of fever is the gas evolved from the granite in a state of decomposition; others that the water is the poisonous agent, and a third party refers the cause to a certain electric state of the clouds acting on a particular kind of magnetic ore called ferruginous hornblend, supposed to exist in the primary strata of the island. These theories, I think, we must object to as being altogether hypothetical, and fall back from the original theory of miasmata for the remote causes of the fevers of this place.
"Having endeavoured to show that Malaria is the remote cause of fever in this place, I shall now state what I consider to be the exciting causes. In my opinion, the chief exciting causes are exposure to the rays of the sun, sleeping under the direct rays of the moon and exposure to the night dews; the atmosphere is much more charged with miasmatic vapour at night than during the day, or rather the poison is more concentrated along the surface of the earth. Badly constructed dwellings placed either in immediate contact with the damp earth, or which is still worse, elevated a few feet, must appear one of the most prominent sources of fever. Irregularity and excess in eating and drinking are also chief exciting causes of the fevers of Hongkong."
Medical science has made enormous strides since 1843. The fever which killed so many soldiers in that year was, in all probability, pernicious malaria. We know now that malaria is carried by the mosquito and is rarely fatal if taken in time and the proper remedies applied.
There would not be so many graves at Stanley and Happy Valley if the curative qualities of quinine had been discovered earlier.
The year 1894 is indeed a dark one in the Colony's history, for it marks the great Bubonic Plague which carried off thousands of residents, and brought untold misery, suffering and terror among the population.
I propose to tell in full the story of this terrible scourge, and to-day the first of a series of articles on this subject is published.
The winter of 1893-94 was a terrible one for South China. Practically no rain had fallen and a water famine was more or less general. Then a scorching summer began early, and with it, came the hint of an even greater disaster than the drought.
News began to trickle through from Canton that a disease of an epidemic character was sweeping through the poor quarters of the city. It was marked by a sudden rise in temperature, headaches, cerebral disturbance, and stupor. In 12 to 24 hours, a glandular swelling occurred in the neck, arm-pit and groin, rapidly growing to the size of a fowl's egg.
The swelling was hard and exceedingly tender. With or without a decline in fever, the patient sank deeper into a state of coma and died within 48 hours.
Page 1364
5.
and mineral have each, in their turn been represented as the cause of fever. Some say the sole cause of fever is the gas evolved from the granite in a state of decomposition; others that the water is the poisonous agent, and a third party refers the cause to a certain electric state of the clouds acting on a particular kind of magnetic ore called ferruginous hornblend, supposed to exist in the primary strata of the island. These theories, I think, we must object to as being altogether hypothetical, and fall back from the original theory of miasmata for the remote causes of the fevers of this place.
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"Having endeavoured to show thu Malaria is the remote cause of fever in this place, I shall now state. what I consider to be the exciting causes. In my opinion, the chief exciting causes are exposure to the rays of the sun, sleeping under the direct rays of the moon and exposure to the night dews; the atmosphere is much more charged with miasmatic vapour at night than during the day, or rather the poison is more concentrated along the surface of the earth. Badly constructed dwellings placed either in immediate contact with the damp earth, or which is still worse, elevated a few feet, must appear one of the most prominent sources of fever. Irregularity and excess in eating and drinking are also chief exciting causes of the fevers of Hongkong."
Medical science has rade enormous strides since 1843. The fever which killed so many soldiers in that year was, in all probability, pernicious malaria. We know now that malaria is carried by the mosquito and is rarely fatal if taken in time and the proper remedies applied.
>> There would not be so many graves at Stanley and Happy Valley if the curative 'qualities of quinine had been discovered earlier.
The year 1894 is indeed a dark one in the Colony's history, for it marks the great Bubonie Plague which carried off thousands of residents, and brought untold misery, suffering and terror among the population.
I propose to tell in full the story of this terrible scourge, and to-day the first of a series of articles on this subject is published.
5
The winter of 1893-94 was a terrible one for South China. Practically no rain had fallen and a water famine was more or less general. Then a scorching summer began early, and with it, cane the hint of an even greater disaster than the drought.
News began to trickle through from Canton that a disease of an epidemic character was sweeping through the poor quarters of the city. It was marked by a sudden rise. in temperature, headaches, cerebral disturbance, and stupor. In 12 to 24 hours, a glandular swelling occurred in the neck, arm-pit and groin, rapidly growing to the size of a fowl's egg ·
The swelling was hard and exceedingly tender. With or without a decline in fever, the patient sank deeper into a state of coma and died within 48 hours.
1364
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