Sessional_Paper_1895 — Page 188

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"Around several other latrines, more especially at 29, First Street, numerous, cases occurred; but in some of these instances it is difficult to prove that the "severity of the epidemic was so locally affected on account of the large number of

cases which occurred in almost every house.

"Sheung Fung Lane, off Second Street and opposite to No. 91 of that street, "is practically shut up. The mortality here was very great. The inhabitants "were principally night-soil coolies and almost all died. The occupants of houses "in Third Street adjoining this were also numerously attacked.

"I might mention that there is a latrine, no doubt well known to the sani- tary authorities, in Centre Street Market, and three yards distant from it a large "quantity of meat is often hanging for hours at a time.

"The two questions :-(i) Was there infection of coolies in the latrines? and "(22) Was there infection of the neighbourhood round about? must go hand in "hand seeing that so many of the inhabitants use the latrine. It must be reinem- "bered, however, that women and children do not patronise these institutions so "much as male adults, and as large numbers of the former have died, I think it "must be conceded, notwithstanding the fact that personal contact (as explained "later on in this Report) may cause infection, that both these questions should be "answered in the affirmative. If not, why should not all parts of these streets "be equally affected?

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"I would ask you to inspect these latrines personally to see that my statements แ as to want of use of disinfectants to the fæces are correct. When visiting these places I have not seen a grain of quicklime, or a drop of carbolic acid, or any "other disinfectant used to treat the excreta, and from what I learned by examina- "tion of attendants it is only by the merest chance that Jeyes' Fluid ever finds its

way into the soil-pan.

CC

Full statistics, such as I understand Mr. MAY has procured, would help very "much to arrive at an accurate result. I would suggest that some one with a little "spare time should plot out' the figures of the severe plague localities upon a C map of the City, and then have the position of the latrines inserted. This will go to prove what I have indicated above. Of course, where so many cases have "occurred in the infected areas, it would be unwise to lay this down as absolute, "it is only suggested to me from what I have particularly noticed to the west of "the Civil Hospital. There may be a few exceptions with regard to the spread of "disease by latrines, and some houses seemed to have escaped in a remarkable manner, possibly owing to some trade peculiarity, etc.; but with full statistics "it may be found that even those which apparently have had no case have really "been infected, or, more probably still, their inhabitants had fled before being "attacked by the epidemic.

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"If it is His Excellency's desire to have further details I shall furnish them "if I can.

"In conclusion, please bear in mind that I do not say this is the sole cause of "the spread of plague, it is one cause, and one that ought to be remedied at once

in case we have another outbreak in the near future."

Further investigation in the infected area to the west of the Government Civil Hospital has fully borne this out.

EFFECT OF CLIMATIC INFLUENCE.

The disease commenced here at the end of the dry season; it had raged furiously in Canton during the dry season; and increased here after the rain set in. It was raging at Canton when the temperature was about 60° F. and in Hongkong when it was between 80° and 90° F. These facts show that at any rate between a tem- perature of 60° and 90° F. the epidemic will flourish aud that the humidity or dryness of the atmosphere has not inuch influence on its forward march. Experi- mentally the bacillus grows best in a slightly moist medium at the temperature of the human body, and from this experience a humid condition of the soil and atmos- phere would favour the propagation of the disease. It must be kept in mind that the great breeding ground for the germs is in the human body, a fact which is often forgotten by people who wonder how the disease is propagated and speculate as to the effect that different temperatures and humidity have upon it. of fact it follows that conditions of temperature and humidity approximating to those of the human body are favourable to the multiplication of the bacillus.

As a matter

It has been suggested that the increase of the disease after the rainy season. set in was due to the rise of subsoil water in the more or less porous ground causing the expulsion of ground air (more or less polluted from contact with soil infected by leaking drains) through the unpaved floors of dwellings, but 1 lay