Sessional_Paper_1904 — Page 215

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There remain cases 7, 10, 13, 14 and 15 :-

No. 7 is very difficult to account for but must have been infected within

the Gaol premises.

No. 10 must similarly have been infected in the Gaol.

Nos. 13 and 14 both lived in the Gaol quarters, they may have, however,

contracted the disease elsewhere.

No. 15 was in the Gaol for 12 days, so in all likelihood he became

infected there.

With regard to the causation of this outbreak, overcrowding has been a most important factor.

This was referred to in Dr. THOMSON'S Annual Report on the condition of the Gaol for 1902.

On the 12th May this year, Dr. THOMSON also drew attention to the exces sively overcrowded condition of the female prison, the Principal Civil Medical Officer minute thus:-"I fear that the overcrowding is not confined to the female portion of the Gaol, but is general." Certain recommendations were then made to alleviate this.

Again, on the 30th May, Dr. THOMSON urgently drew the attention of His Excellency the Governor to the overcrowded condition of the Gaol. On this date 100 short sentence prisoners were released by order of lis Excellency the Govern or; taking 7 days from this date as the limit of the period of incubation, no more cases developed after the release of these prisoners.

We are also of the opinion that the oakum which the Prisoners pick may have been a source of infection.

Most of this oakum came from the Naval Yard.

On the 26th June we were informed by the Commodore that a large number of rats were found on the Naval Extension Works which are contiguous to the Yard; on the 28th and 29th of June some of these rats were reported by the Government Bacteriologist to have been found Plague infected.

The English Warder ESTWISTLE, case No. 14, was employed in weighing out the oakum and many of the prisoners were employed in picking it, although only one of the prisoners attacked seems to have been handling the oakum.

Another possible source of the spread of the infection is by means of the nightsoil buckets.

II.-Sanitary Disinfecting Staff.

Table B gives the number of cases which have occurred amongst the mem- bers of the Disinfecting Staff.

The following were the total number employed

Staff.

Inoculated. Plague Cases.

European Inspectors,

22

..

Coloured Foremen,..

21

5

Chine. Foremen.

10

8

1

Disinfecting Coolies,

243

202

Removing case Coolies,

63

39

Foremen Rat-catchers,

24

10

2

Rat-catchers,.

37

18

Artisans,

92

65

512

347

6

Thus out of a total force of 512, six contracted Plague, a percentage of 11. Of these six, three lived at their own quarters and three at the Disinfecting Station.

Rat-catching work appears to be the most dangerous as three out of the six affected were employed at this work, two being foremen and one a coolie, the fore- men, however, do not necessarily handle the rats.