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11. We began in January, 1888, to vaccinate the long sentenced prisoners with the exceptions of debtors and prisoners from Her Majesty's Army and Navy.
We found contrary to the current belief, that vaccination and inoculation are generally practised by the Chinese, but we have not yet met amongst the new prisoners a single instance of re-vaccination. The result of our work and inquiry on this subject for the past two years are embodied in the subjoined table.
Year.
Total number of vaccination and re-vaccination.
Taken.
Failed at first vaccination and re-vaccination.
1888
1889
2,051
1,354
697
2,060
1,445
615
Total number of those who have
been vaccinated or inoculat- ed outside the Gaol.
1,951
2,057
Another advantage derived from this vaccination, is that old convicts that escaped identification by the detectives, are recognised at once by those marks they bore on their arms.
12. It is not to be wondered at that in China they have tried some means to check the virulence of small-pox which has repeatedly produced terrible havoc amongst its inhabitants. Chinese practi- tioners describe various methods of inoculation which, it is said, was discovered at the latter end of the second century for protecting a grandson of Prince TCHIU-SIANG (1). They have also learned by experience the dangers of inoculation.
13. Mr. FLORES has, as usual, carefully noted down and compiled the Table P. showing the weights of opium sniokers during the first four weeks of their confinement in this Gaol. after having been deprived of the use of this drug.
14. The passing of Opium Ordinance has been the cause of many Chinese being convicted for breach of its provisions.
These offenders are generally weak and aged men. One was over eighty years old. Their advanced age precluded them from hard labour, and their state of health forbade them to be put entirely on the ordinary penal diet.
15. The great number of prisoners and the limited accommodation in the Gaol, do not allow the system of separate cells, so important also in hygienic aspect, to be uniformly adopted.
16. In a small Colony like Hongkong, it is not an easy thing for those who have been convicted of serious crimes to get situations.
The usual abode of these men is the Gaol, until by some way or other, they manage to leave this Colony.
It behoves the Surgeon to watch daily their power of physical endurance, and as often happens, when their health begins to break down, they are delighted with the idea that they will be excused, at least for a short time, from doing full penalty.
The repeated convictions and longer sentences which generally follow, render most of them callous and indifferent of their future welfare.
17. The aggregation of prisoners in the Gaol, is a constant source of anxiety to all those con- cerned and entails a large expenditure of money.
The majority of criminals are not permanently settled in this Colony. I believe that if influen- tial Chinese would establish a benevolent society for helping old offenders who are willing to emigrate, to get employment in some recently explored lands, the problem of over-crowding in the Gaol could be solved very satisfactorily.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
L. P. MARQUES,
Medical Officer in Charge of Gaol Hospital,
- Dr. PH. B. C. AYRES,
Colonial Surgeon,
&C.
&c.,
&c.
(1) P. DABRY, "La Médecine chez les chinois."
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