363
An inspection of this table will shew, that, whatever reasons may decide the type under which a given case of plague is to be classed, whether it be a living case judged from a clinical standpoint or a cadaver on which a post-mortem ex- amination has been held, there is a marked preponderance in favour of the Bubonic type in females between the ages of 5 to 25, namely, the ages of puberty and early sexual activity.
It is extremely difficult to obtain trustworthy information as to the occupa- tion of Chinese female plague cases. I have often thought that a large number of such cases are by occupation prostitutes but obviously without accurate informa- tion it would be out of place to base any opinions as to plague incidence on this hypothesis. Seven females cases in the City of Victoria were however undoubtedly in the persons of prostitutes. Of these seven cases, six were returned as suffering from the Bubonic type of the disease.
Their ages were 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 30 and 31.
Age and Sex Distribution of Plague. The following Table shews the number of cases which have occurred grouped into different age periods both for males and females, with the number of deaths, recoveries and rate of mortality for each group.
AGE PERIOD.
TOTAL CASES.
O.'
SEX. CASES.
0
DEATHS.
RE- DEATH-
COVERIES. RATES.
Under 1 year,
17
3.6
JJ2.
10
58.8
10
Nil
100%
f.
7
41.2
7
Nil
100 °
10
1 year to 5
years,.
37
7.8 772.
19
51.3
19
Nil
1.
18
48.7
18
Nil
100% 100 10
5 years to 15 years,....................
57
12:0
f.
15 years to 25 years,....
122
25.8 m.
f. 44
25 years to 45 years.....
178
37-7
m.
140
f.
45 years to 60 years,
38
8:0
m.
f.
Over 60 years;
23
4.8
m.
མཆེ།༤ག་རྒྱ་རྨི་འ
24
42.1
24
Nil
33
57.9-
32
1
100% 96-9 о
10
78
63.9
75
36.0
42
78.6
135
21.3
35
32
53
3
96-19
95.4%
96-4
92.3
65.2
25
Nil
100%
34.8
13
Nil
100
10
56.5
13
Nil
100!
f.
43.5
9
1
90°
Total,.......
472
771. 309
65.4
301
8
97-4
f.
163
34.6.
156
7
95-71%
457
15
The total number of cases amongst children under 15 years is for this year 111, comprising 58 fetnales or 52-25 per cent. and 53 males or 47.75 per cent.
The age period 5 to 15 years shews this year more pronouncedly than last year the greater incidence amongst females.
In the 1903 Epidemic female children from 5 to 15 years afforded 530 per cent. of the cases in this group, but for this year they afford the high figure of 57·9 (nearly) per cent. ; the percentage of females on the population at this age period being only 48.
This does not look like an accident and as I pointed out in my report on the 1903 epidemic, the circumstances under which many of the girls of this age period live as servants occupying a position of inferiority, may possibly be a factor in the incidence of plague amongst them. In my report for 1903 referring to servant girls in Chinese families I wrote: Such girls would generally be not so well fed or cared for as the other members of the family, and would have in many cases to sleep on the floor or in an out of the way corner of the room. In such a way they might become exposed to infection through rats and other vermin."
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