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epidemic was caused by eating pigs from Pakhoi, but as none of the pigs imported showed any sign of diseas, and as pigs have not yet been proved to be susceptible to the disease, this supposition has to be rejected.
The water supply is very good, but at present it is scarcely sufficient to meet the heavy demands made on it, on account of the waste and misuse of water within the closely built and thickly inhabited areas of the City, the water supply to the Chinese being almost unlimited. Its waste and misuse are, however, being remedied rapidly.
In addition to the Government supply there are numerous wells situated generally in houses, latrines, back-kitchens and other out-of-the-way places. These wells all come within the category of "Shallow Wells" and must as long as they exist prove a serious danger to the Public Health. These wells are numer- ous in the affected areas and some of then simply reek with organic matter; others have a considerable amount of ammonia and nitrites; whilst a very few only are at all fit for drinking purposes. To what extent the spread of the epidemic was due to these wells has not yet been deterinine; it is easy to see the possibility of their pollution by plague patients, but the question has not yet been studied carefully. Many are now shut up.
LATRINES.
To my mind one of the most important factors in the spread of the disease was the bad condition of the latrines. In Hongkong latrines are in some cases public, and in some cases private property; in both cases they are under the control of the Sanitary Board, and are used by the bulk of the Chinese population, few Chinese dwellings being provided with accommodation of this kind. The following extract from a letter I sent to the Colonial Surgeon bearing date 15th August, 1894, explains itself:-
"In my opinion the condition of the latrines in the Colony has been partly responsible for the spread of the plague epidemic. My reasons for thinking so 44 are as follows:-
(1) The plague bacillus is abundantly found in the fæces.
"(2) There is practically no disinfection of fæces in the latrines. The.
"gutters are washed down occasionally with a mixture of
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Jeyes' Fluid and water, but only some material described as opium packing is added to the faces to raise its value as a (C inanure. This latter is practically of no use as a disinfectant. "(3) Several times during the epidemic these latrines were not cleaned "out as regularly as they ought to have been. (This is not to "be wondered at considering the scarcity of labour.)
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"(4) Plague-stricken coolies must often have visited the latrines, and “each soil pati must necessarily have become a great danger to every healthy person who went into the latrine. A glance "at one of these latrines will at once bring this prominently "before you.
Their peculiar construction makes it absolutely "certain that any individual using them must inhale air laden "with impurities, and each soil pan must have been a prolific breeding ground for the poison. There is here a favourable opportunity for being attacked, as all the three most usual "methods of infection-inoenlation, respiration and entrance by "alimentary canal-may occur.
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"(5) Not only this but from the statistics and facts at present at my disposal. I consider that these latrines were a source of infec- tion to houses round about them; so that it was not neces- sary
for the people to go into the latrines to get the disease, "it was probably borne by the air to neighbouring houses.
"There is a licensed private latrine at 113, Second Street. At a casual "glance the shut up houses all around bear eloquent testimony upon this point. "Round this latrine there is scarcely a house-occupied.
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C
"In Centre Street at the corner of Third Street there is a latrine. On pass- ing into Third Street to the South numerous houses are shut up and several cases have occurred in neighbouring houses.
"At 82, First Street, there is a latrine with an entrance at 91, Second Street. "A very large number of cases occurred round about this place.
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