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Finally I wish to state that P.C. JAS. MCKILLOr, who acted as Wardmaster on the Tygeia, and all the staff performed their far-from-pleasant duties in a most satisfactory manner.

I have the honour to be,

Sir.

Dr. P. B. C. AYRES, C.M.G., Colonial Surgeon, &c.

Your obedient Servant,

JAMES A. Lowson,

Medical Officer, in charge of the Hospital. Hulk “Hygeia.”

Enclosure 5.

Report of the Superintendent of the Government Vaccine Institute.

GOVERNMENT VACCINE INSTITUTE,

HONGKONG, 21st May, 1894.

SIR, I have the honour to submit herewith my report upon the work done at the Vaccine Institute for the year 1893.

As this is the first annual report of the Institute I propose to give a short history of the facts which led to its establishment.

During the small-pox epidemic in Hongkong of 1887-88, there was no vaccine lymph available in the Colony and it being found that the calf lymph which had hitherto been supplied from outside sources was deteriorating in quality, His Excellency Sir G. W. DES VEUX decided that it was expedient that an Institute should be established in Hongkong for the cultivation of vaccine lymph which would. render the Government independent of outside supplies.

The question was taken up by the Sanitary Board and I was directed to make enquiries as to the possibility of procuring suitable animals, etc. Upon my favourable report the matter was referred to- the Colonial Surgeon who requested me to make a series of exhaustive experiments in the cultivation of vaccine lymph in conjunction with Dr. ATKINSON, Inspector of Vaccination, and it was upon the results. obtained that the Sanitary Board acting upon the advice of the Colonial Surgeon forwarded a recom- mendation to the Government that a Government Vaccine Institute should be established for the benefit of the Colony and be conducted under my guidance and direction.

Upon consideration the Government decided to give effect to the views of the Board and a suitable building was erected upon the Kennedy Road.

The Institute was opened under my superintendence in 1892 to supply a demand for vaccine lymph from the Military Authorities for the vaccination of the newly arrived Hongkong Regiment. This was supplied, but as the whole of the necessary instruments had not then arrived from England,

the estab- lishment was not in thorough working order until January 1893.

Looking upon the undertaking as a commercial enterprise (apart from the medical benefits which accrue from such an Institute owing to fresh vaccine lymph being always upon hand) it has proved a distinct success as after paying all working expenses there remained a profit upon the year's profit and loss account of over 4 per cent. upon the original capital invested.

The lymph produced at the Institute has met with favourable notice from the medical profession generally, and the local dispensaries have freely availed themselves of the opportunity afforded to procure fresh active lymph at reasonable rates.

Seeing that the birth-rate of the Colony averages about 2,000 births per annum and that compulsory vaccination is strictly enforced the value of a local Vaccine Institute cannot well be over-estimated especially when it is explained that vaccine lymph imported from a distance is very often found upon arrival to be inert.

During my visit to Saigon in December last, through the kindness of Dr. PINEAU, Director of the Institut de Microbiologie, I was permitted to see the whole of the work which is carried on at that splendid institution: which includes the Pasteur system of inoculation against rabies, the cultivation of. vaccine lymph, and much other scientific work, Dr. PINEAU himself taking the greatest trouble to explain each process in detail.

I hope in my next report to be able to show far better results, but it must be borne in mind that. the tedious nature of the work involves the expenditure of a considerable amount of time, the process of cultivation and collection being of such an important and delicate kind that it would not do to leave it to subordinates. Were I to devote my whole time to the Institute instead of doing a greater part of the work after office hours I could turn out a very large supply of vaccine lymph.

I have the honour to be,

THE COLONIAL SURGEON.

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

C. VIVIAN LADDS,

Superintendent.