Sessional_Paper_1905 — Page 579

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From these results I drew the following conclusions :——

(1.) The germicidal action of Disinfectol is a strong one.

(2.) Lysol and Disinfectol rank closely together as disinfectants.

(3.) Disinfectol is a better disinfectant and antiseptic than Jeyes' Fluid and other preparations of a similar composition.

The blood serum of a large number of suspected cases of enteric fever has been examined by WIDAL'S Test. In the majority of instances, the serum was obtained from patients in the Government Civil Hospital. The results would not appear to be so satisfactory as those obtained at home. Many cases which have been submitted to this test have given a negative result in equal parts of typhoid culture and blood serum. Obviously these could not be typhoid fever, yet the appearances presented clinically are typical of the disease.

An explanation of these discrepancies is as yet not forthcoming. I am con- vinced that many of the cases of continued fever have nothing to do with the specific typhoid bacillus.

It would appear that a number of medical men still decry the value of the agglutination test in typhoid fever. Such a test, like the majority of others, is not infallible, and a point of interest, to those apparently in ignorance, is the fact that specific agglutinins inay persist in the blood serum for many years after an attack of the actual disease. It is a well recognised fact that occasionally positive reactions are obtained in very different diseases to typhoid fever, e.g., gonorrhoea, small-pox, etc., but should surprise be the result of the examination, it usually shows defective enquiry on the part of the clinician into the past history of his case.

On several occasions, pure cultures of the typhoid bacillus have been obtained from the spleen post-inortem.

A few swabs from the throat have been examined for the presence of the B. Diphtheria. Positive results have occasionally been obtained, both the long and short variety of the organism being present.

Diphtheria, though undoubtedly met with, is a rare disease in China. It would appear to be more commonly found in the northern parts of the country. Writers on the subject of Diphtheria state that the disease is more intense and fatal in natives than in European residents.

During the year, a short report on cattle disease was published by Mr. GIBSON, the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, and myself. In it we drew attention to the existence of two new diseases amongst the cattle in Hongkong, namely, Trypano- somiasis and Pyroplasmosis. Further, we noted the inadvisability of encouraging the establishment of cattle raising industries in the Colony, until something more definite is known in regard to the diseases likely to seriously interfere with such an undertaking, and the methods of their prevention.

An outbreak of disease in goats occurred during the past summer, and was investigated bacteriologically. It appeared to be one of the forms of hæmorrhagic septicæmia.

The diagnosis of anthrax in cattle has also been established on several occa- sions.

The Bacteriological Examination of Water.

During 1904, a number of samples of water were sent to me for bacteriological examination. No sample of water was examined and reported upon, unless the sample sent was stored in a sterilised bottle and forwarded within a couple of hours to the Laboratory. Further, every sample on being forwarded was packed in ice. The usual methods of quantitative and qualitative bacteriological examina- tion were employed. The determination of the number of micro-organisms in the water examined, was carried out, according to the German and American practice of estimating the number of colonies of bacteria at the end of forty-eight hours.