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228
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
corners are receptacles for lumber and afford so many fat billets for themselves and rubbish, wherein unclean vermin breed and their followers and such large opportunities flourish, and the few windows become
of peculation. It has now been agreed that gradually obscured by filth until all the
no change of that kind shall take place light that penetrates the place comes through during the currency of the recently con- some broken pane. Where the floors are of cluded loan, and the foreign mercantile board the dirt accumulates on them to such community may breathe all the more freely for the assurance thus afforded; for the an extent that they become black with filth, animal and vegetable, a breeding Customs in Chinese hands would speedily ground for disease germs which sooner or degenerate into the corrupt and uncertain later must break forth to avenge the viola-service that existed before the management tion of nature's laws.
was entrusted to foreigners The agree ment, we take it, also means that the Service is not to be handed over to any foreign Government; that Russia, for in- stance, will not be allowed to assume sole control over it. Curiosity will still prevail as to who will succeed Sir ROBERT HART when (we trust not for many years to come) that capable administrator retires, whether it will be an Englishman or a Ger- man, a Frenchman or a Russian; but in any case we have the assurance that the Service will be continued on its present lines.
That the plague is essentially a dirt disease is now generally admitted. It is, in short, the inevitable Nemesis which must follow entire disregard of sanitary rules. This fact is abundantly proved in the sketch given of its course by Dr. RENNIE. The disease first found a resting place in Yunnan, the towns and people of which province are exceedingly filthy, and thence, instead of spreading along the course of the West River, it travelled through Kwangsi to Pakhoi. That port is notorious for its utter disregard of the first principles of cleanliness, and there it committed severe ravages before it was carried on to Canton. In the great provincial capital of the Two Kwang all the conditions existed for the rapid dissemination of the grim visitor, and the wonder is that the mortality was not in- finitely greater while the epidemic lasted, A curious and very suggestive fact is noted by Dr. RENNIE, pointing to the main factor in propagating this scourge. The majority of the victims in Canton, he says, were women and female children, most probably as he suggests, because they lead an indoor life and hence are more susceptible to the germs which surround them. Another circum- stance noted by the doctor was that the epidemic was worst in wet weather, when more persons were confined to the house. This was also the case in Hongkong, and there is no doubt that the dry hot weather is more unfavourable to the bacilli, owing to the greater opportunities for light and air penetrating the frowzy dwellings and the facilities afforded to the population to pass the bulk of their time, as is their general custom in dry weather, in the open air. We have therefore learned one fact at
least, that a fierce dry heat is unfavourable to the spread of this disease, and that tro- "pical places have less cause to fear its intro- duction. It has also been demonstrated that a good wholesome whitewashing and general cleansing is the best preventive. The pro- blem that remains is how to imbue the Chinese residents of this colony with a respect for sanitary rules; how to teach them to live among more cleanly surround- ings and to contract a liking for soap and water. In making compulsory the white- washing of Chinese tenements and the cleansing of the floors the Sanitary Board is evidently on the right track. Con- cerning the efficacy of this measure in fighting dirt diseases there cannot be two opinions.
.
THE CHINESE CUSTOMS SERVICE.
The statement that it has been made a condition of the new Chinese loan that no change is to be made in the Chinese Foreign Customs will be hailed with satisfaction. Fears have been entertained, and not-with- out reason, that when Sir ROBERT HART relinquished the reins they might pass into the hands of a Chinese Commission and that all the foreigners in the service might be gradually dispensed with. The Chinese ruling class look with great jealousy upon the Foreign Customs service, which, if the foreigners could only be got rid of, would
1
SERIOUS OUTBREAK OF CATTLE PLAGUE.
THE HONGKONG DAIRY FARM COMPANYS HERD DESTROYED.
It was briefly mentioned in our last week's issue that sickness had broken out among the Hongkong Dairy Farm Company's cattle at Pokfulam. The disease was at first believed to be anthrax, but was afterwards found to be rinderpest or cattle plague, and it spread with alarming and disastrous results, the greater part of the Company's herd having now been destroyed. Fortunately it has not yet extended to other parts of the colony, but the owners of the various dairies are naturally much alarmed. The following are the particulars of the out- break as published from day to day-
12th March.
As soon as
The disease which has attacked cattle at the Pokfulam Dairy Farm is believed to be anthrax. There are upwards 190 cattle on the farm, and of these about 50 have been affected. information of the outbreak reached Mr. McCal- lum, the Secretary to the Sanitary Board on Tuesday, a hastily summoned meeting of the Board was held and the farm was, after careful deliberation by the members, declared an in- The Board's action is of course fected area.
a serious matter for the Dairy Farm, as nothing will be allowed to be removed from the farm until the area has been released, but it is re- cognised by the Company t at the Board were wise in taking the action they did, as it is the only safe course to pursue to prevent the spread of the disease. Another special meeting of the Board was held yesterday, when several matters of detail were submitted for consideration. At the farm every precaution possible has been taken to check the disease, and of course all the cattle affected have been completely isolated. It is to be hoped that the trouble will soon be a thing of the past. It speaks well for the Dairy Company that as soon as they discovered the existence of the infectious disease word was sent round to the various dairymen in the colony, who were thus put on their guard.
13th March.
We believe that no fresh cases of plague have occurred amongst the Dairy Farm Company's cattle since last report. An amusing incident in connection with the outbreak occurred on Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Hartigan and Dr. Rennie went out to look at the cattle and hav- ing once got on the premises the police cordon refused to allow them to pass out, the orders being that no one should leave the farm. They had to telephone direct to H.E. the Governor and get a written permit before they were re- leased from quarantine.
14th March.
Yesterday afternoon fifty diseased cattle belonging to the Dairy Company were dumped into the sea about four miles off West Point. Thirty-three of the beasts had died from the disease and the remainder were shot on the beach balow Pokfulam farm. They were conveyed in a cargo boat, their estroness
[March 18, 1896.
cut open, and as they were weighted with stones they sank like lead. The dumping process was carried out under the personal direction of the Acting Captain Superintendent of Police, and over sixty coolies were employed for the work. Of course every precaution was taken to prevent the spread of the disease, and the clothing that the coolies wore whilst removing
cattle was destroyed by It seems that a complaint has been fire. made about the treatment of a number of coolies
the
who were specially engaged on Thursday by the the beach. A quantity of rice was supplied to Dairy Company to remove the dead cattle to them, but this proved insufficient and they com- plained. Late in the afternoon Detectives Quincey and Holt heard that the coolies were short of food and they immediately sent for a large supply of vegetables and other viands. which
were given to the hungry men. It afterwards transpired that there was no proper sleeping accommodation for the coolies. They were told to sleep in a byre which, it is said, diseased cattle had used and which was in an un- wholesome condition. Some of the coolies re- sented this treatment and during the night about thirty of them escaped from the farm by taking various paths and thus eluding the sentries. It is to be hoped that what was perhaps a misunderstanding will not lead to the spread of the disease,
Dr. Atkinson stated at the meeting of the Sanitary Board on Thursday in reference to the disease amongst the cattle at the Dairy Farm that he and Dr. Low son considered be a form of septicemia accom-
it to
panied by high fever. We understand that taking into consideration later information as to symptoms, etc., of the animals affected it is considered evident by the doctors that the disease must be rinderpest or cattle plague.
16th March.
Matters have taken a most serious turn at the Pokfulam Dairy Farm. Up to yesterday morning of the total number of cattle stricken with disease was one hundred and thirty-four, and there are now only sixty (presumably) healthy cattle left in the sheds. Up to Saturday the number of deaths was sixty-seven, and the whole of them had been dumped into the sea by mid-day. During the day, however, the disease made its appearance amongst the isolated herd, and thirty-two fresh cases were reported to a special meeting of the Sanitary Board which was held in the afternoon. The number rapidly increased and by yesterday morning the total number of cases apart from the first batch was sixty-seven. This loss is of course a most serious one for the Dairy Company, and there is a likelihood now that the whole of the re- maining cattle will fall victims to the dread
disease.
We have made careful inquiries into the sub- ject and as a result we are forced to the conclu sion that an egregious blunder has been made in dealing with the outbreak, and it is to be hoped that a strict investigation will be made in order that the blame for the bungle shall be laid upon the responsible party. Perhaps it was owing to the disgraceful mismanage- ment of the whole affair that the disease assumed such alarming proportions; bat of course this is a question that only experts can decide. At any rate, the state of things that existed for nearly a whole week at the Dairy Farm cannot possibly be defended on sanitary grounds, and therefore there is a strong probability that the spread of the disease was due to this neglect. It seems that the disease first manifested itself at the farm on Thursday, the 5th inst. On the following Sunday twelve cows died. On Monday the Colonial Secretary was informed of the outbreak by the Dairy On Tuesday morning the news Company.
On Tuesday first reached Mr. McCallum, mid-day a special meeting of the Sanitary Board was held and the place was declared infected. At that time fifty cattle had been stricken with the disease, and the Board ordered the earcases to be burnt. No carcases were burnt because, we believe, the Company said the ex- pense would be too great. On Wednesday, the 11th inst., the Board met again, and it was resolved, where burning was impracticable, to have the bodies of the cattle buried in gravés ten feet deep, and the carcases covared with unstacked lime. On Wednesday afternos
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