Sessional_Paper_1905 — Page 97

35

-

DISEASES OF THE CHEST.

The number of deaths among the Chinese from respiratory diseases was 1,394 or 23-7 per cent. of the total Chinese deaths. This represents a death-rate from these diseases of 4:07 per 1,000 as compared with 4:37 per 1,000 in 1903, and 5.4 per 1,000 in 1902. The discrepancy between the land population and the boat population is not so marked as usual, the death-rate from these diseases among the former having been 4:02 per 1,000 and among the latter it was 4:36 per 1,000. In former years there has frequently been a considerably heavier death-rate from chest-diseases among the boat population than among the land population. The number of deaths of Chinese from Phthisis was 524 or 376 per cent. of the total deaths from respiratory diseases.

NERVOUS DISEASES.

The deaths of Chinese recorded under this heading number 543 and no less than 387 or 71 per cent. of these occurred in infants under one year

of age, the causes of death being Convulsions, Tetanus and Trismus. Most of the infants are left at the doors of the French or the Italian Convents in a moribund condition, and very little information is obtainable concerning them.

A Committee which investigated this question during 1903 was of the opinion that some of these infant deaths were brought about by improper feeding, and I understand that instances have been met with, in the Public Mortuary, of actual rupture of the stomach or intestine as a result of the feeding of young in- fants on hard solid food.

A further reference to these infant deaths will be found under the head- JI Age Distribution of Deaths."

MALARIAL FEVER.

The total number of deaths among the Chinese from Malarial Fever was 289, while among the Non-Chinese it was 12, of which seven occurred among the Troops, one in the Navy, and 4 among Civilians.

A very considerable amount of anti-malarial work has been done during the past four years, mostly in the direction of the sub-soil draining of swamps and the training of nullahs, and the results of this work will be seen in the following Table of Deaths from Malarial Fever for the past five years, which shows a rapidly falling death-rate. There is no reason however why this death-rate should not be reduced still further by a continuance of the work above indicated :-

Deaths among Chinese.

Deaths among Non-Chinese.

-

1900,.. 1901,..

526

29

541

33

1902,...

393

32

1903,

283

18

1904,

289

12

BERI-BERI.

There were 735 deaths among the Chinese from Beri-Beri as compared with 379 during the previous year, and 452 in 1902. The deaths among the Non- Chinese community numbered 4 only.

I understand that the Government Bacteriologist, Dr. HUNTER, is engaged on a special research into the aetiology of this disease, and I will only therefore repeat the statement I have made in former Reports, that in my opinion the disease is most probably attributable to infected food, such as rice or other grain which has been attacked by some fungoid growth.