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Civil Hospital, the Tung Wah Hospital, the Alice Memorial Hospital and the Nethersole Hospital while hand-bills were issued urging the Chinese to get vaccinated. Additional vaccinators were also appointed to go from house to house and offer vaccination to the inmates, while, moreover, a large stock of vaccine was obtained from Saigon to supplement the local supply.

The total number of deaths from this disease during the year was 59, while in 1900 it was 17, and in 1899 it was 35.

The total number of vaccinations recorded last year was 5,937 as compared with 4,406 in 1900, 6,529 in 1899, and 7,051 in 1898. In my Report for last year, I called attention to the consider- able falling off in the number of vaccinations recorded, and in view of the rapid increase in the population the returns for last year cannot be regarded as satisfactory.

The recommendation made by me in 1897 has been approved during the past year, that a small bonus should be awarded to the Chinese House Surgeons at the Native Hospitals (Tung Wah, Alice Memorial and Nethersole) for all successful vaccinations, with a view to increasing the number of well- vaccinated persons in the Colony and thereby reducing the mortality from Small-pox.

In March of last year, I took over the duties of Director of the Vaccine Institute tempora- rily from the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, who was proceeding on leave, and who has since retired from the service through ill-health, and in view of the fact that the lymph issued from that Institution has not always given the best results, I devoted considerable care and attention to this most important work, and am glad to be able to record that all the practitioners who have used the lymph prepared by me have reported that it has been of excellent quality. The number of tubes of vaccine prepared during the year was 8,445, of which I personally prepared 6,707, and the value of this lymph was $4,222.50. Small quantities have been supplied (on payment) to the Military and Naval authorities, to the private practitioners in this Colony and in Canton, and to the American Government at Manila, but the bulk of it has been used in the local Hospitals and the Gaol, while at the end of the year there was a reserve stock of considerably over 3,000 tubes, in anticipation of any outbreak of Small-pox which might occur during the Spring of 1902. In the Spring of 1901, it was found necessary to telegraph to Saigon for $500 worth of vaccine, but this should not, under ordinary circumstances, be necessary as it is quite possible to prepare sufficient lymph at our own Institution to meet all ordinary eventualities. The total number of tubes prepared during 1900 was 3,651.

CHOLERA.

Seventeen cases of Cholera were imported from Singapore on board the S.S. Cheung Chow" in the moath of February, but the disease spread no further. Twelve of the patients died.

DIPHTHERIA.

Six cases of Diphtheria were reported during the year-the patients all being Asiatic Portuguese. Five of them occurred during the last six weeks of the year and the most probable cause of this was the drought, with the consequent lack of water, and the foul condition of the sewers and storm drains resulting therefrom. Two of the patients died.

PUERPERAL FEVER.

Seven cases of Puerperal Fever were notified during the year, but fifteen deaths were recorded from this disease--all of them among the Chinese community-while no less than 47 deaths were registered as due to Child-birth, and to morbid conditions incident to parturition. This represents a very serious loss of young adult lives and is undoubtedly due to want of proper attention, and to uncleanly surroundings.

In previous Reports for 1898, 1899 and 1900, I have called attention to the great want there is in this Colony for some maternity charity, in addition to the wards which are used for this purpose at the Government Civil Hospital, and some attempt will, I hope, be made to meet this want when the new extension to the Tung Wah Hospital is complete. It is possible also that the scheme for the provision of Dispensaries for the Chinese will do something to reduce this very considerable item in our Bills of mortality.

INTERMENTS.

The following number of interments in the various Cemeteries of the Colony have been recorded during the year :—

Non-Chinese.--Colonial Cemetery,

Roman Catholic Cemetery,

Mahommedan

Jewish

Parsee

**

"}

111

.1,378

60

3

1,585