Sessional_Paper_1903 — Page 167

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DEATHS AMONG THE CHINESE.

CHEST DISEASES.

The number of deaths among the Chinese from respiratory diseases was 1,582 or 24.6 per cent. of the total Chinese deaths. This represents a death-rate from these diseases of 5.4 per 1,000 as compared with 4.6 in 1901. As in former years the death-rate from these causes was heavier among the boat population than among the land population, having been 6.7 per 1,000 among the former as against 5.2 per 1,000 among the latter.

The number of deaths of Chinese from Phthisis alone was 6.7, or 45 per cent. of the total deaths from the respiratory diseases.

NERVOUS DISEASES.

The deaths of Chinese recorded under this heading number 564 and no less than 375 of these or 66.5 per cent. occurred in infants under one year of age, the alleged causes of death being Tetanus, Trismus and allied disorders of a convulsive type.

The number of deaths from these diseases during the past five years has been as follows:-

1898,

1899,

1900,

1901, 1902,

..572

.709

.816

.743

...564

No less than 442 of these deaths from diseases of the nervous system or 78.4 per cent. are returned from one or other of the two Convents, most of them being infants that have been left there in a moribund condition. A further reference to these deaths will be found under the heading of

Age Distribution of Deaths."

MALARIAL FEVERS.

The total number of deaths among the Chinese from the Malarial Fevers was 393, as compared with 541 during the previous year, 887 during 1900, and 532 during 1899; this is equal to a death- rate of 1.3 per 1,000.

The death-rate among the Chinese boat population alone, from this cause, was 1.5 per 1,000.

The training of the nullahs on the outskirts of the City, as recommended in my Report for 1900, is the only practicable means of reducing the death-rate from this cause.

Sixteen deaths from Malarial Fevers are recorded as having occurred among the troops, and it would appear, therefore, to be especially necessary that all Barracks should be well isolated from the native population and that the sites should be most carefully selected and maintained free from mosquito breeding pools.

BERI-BERI.

There were 452 deaths from Beri-Beri among the Chinese during last year, as compared with 377 in 1901, and 361 in 1900.

The following table shows the distribution of the disease throughont the year:

January,

February,

March,

April,

May,

June,

17

24

23

July, August,. September,

30

October,

26

November,

28

December,

148

37

60

53

52

38

64

304

As stated in previous Reports, I incline to the opinion that this disease is attributable to infected food, and most probably to damaged rice or other grain which has been attacked by some fungoid growth.

ACCIDENTS.

Among the accidental deaths of Chinese will be found 33 as the result of the collapse of buildings-a matter to which I drew attention in my Reports for 1900, during which year twenty deaths were so caused, and for 1901, when 47 deaths were so caused. There can be very little doubt that this is a preventible cause of death, and the obvious remedy is a very much greater amount of supervision over the actual work both of building construction and of the repair of buildings, combined with a greater degree of legal responsibility imposed upon those who design and carry out such altera- tions or additions.