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Chinese chattie, which costs a few cents, moisten it occasionally with water, and this will suffice to evolve sufficient chlorine gas to keep the premises sweet for a fortnight. It was found it 1894 and 1896 that when this was done all over the town by the sanitary disinfecting and cleansing gangs the numbers of plague cases occurring rapidly lessened.
The Board then adjourned.
IMPORTANT MEETING.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, in moving this resolution, said it was a purely formal motion, and had no connection with the resolution recently passed by the Board as to the cremation of Chinese. It related to the cremation of Indians, and it was required by the Bye-law named in the notice of motion that the place which was appointed for the purpose should be appointed by the Board.
The PRESIDENT, alluding to the words "in accordance with the custom of the race" in the On the 21st April a meeting of the Hong. Bye-law, asked why they had been introduced kong Sanitary Board was held under the Chair-into the Bye-law. They were not in the Bye- manship of the President (Dr. Atkinson, Prin- law under Ordinance 15, 1894, and he had not cipal Civil Medical Officer), there being been able to ascertain why the Bye-law had also present the Hon. F. H. May (Captain been altered to this extent. There must be Superintendent of Police), the Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works), Mr. A. W. Brewin (Acting Registrar-General), Mr. N. J. Ede, and Dr. F. Clark (Acting Secretary and Medical Officer of Health).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the special meeting held on Tuesday were read and confirmed.
THE MANUfacture aAND SALE OF POISONS,
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH submit ted a copy of the draft Bye-laws. for regulating the manufacture and sale of poisons.
The PRESIDENT said they had been to the Attorney General, and he thought there were one or two alterations. He would move that, as altered by the Attorney-General, the Bye-laws be printed and circulated among the members.
Mr. EDE seconded, and the motion was car- ried.
THE CREMATION OF INDIANS.
Mr. J. M. Beck, of the Telegraph Company, wrote as follows to the Secetary of the Sanitary Board:-"9th April. The watchman living at our establishment at Lapsapwan, close to the Plague Cemetery, complains that the bodies of some Sindh men (plague corpses) are being burned close by, the smoke, &c., causing a nuis ance by entering the dwelling. 1 would sng. gest that some other spot further along the beach might be selected for the purpose.'
Minutes appended:-
15
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-If this is being done it is on the authority of the officials of the Kennedytown Hospital. I have no knowledge of any cremation of corpses at Kennedytown.
Dr. Lowson-Since May, 1894, this place (about 200 yards west of Kennedytown Hos- pital and 125 yards east of the Telegraph house) has been used as a burning ghaut. No Act of Parliament made it so, but I understand it was legalised by some Act late in 1894, and it has been customary to burn plague Indian bodies there, with only one or two exceptions. I have examined the locality again carefully this morning and still think it admirably suited for the purpose. The watchman at the Tele- graph House is a fussy old Indian, and I can scarcely believe the smoke created more nnis- ance than the smoke of his own kitchen. It has never been complained of before, and some quarrel may be at the bottom of this. If any more are burned I have told the wardmaster to direct the burning on a spot somewhat to the east of the present site. If it is necessary to declare this a burning ground it had better be done at once, as occasion may arise at any mo- ment for its use again.
In reply to a communication from the Presi- dent asking what he advised, the MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH reported-This matter should be reported to the Sanitary Board to be dealt with under Bye-law 19, made under sec- tion 13 of Ordinance 15 of 1894.
The MEDICAL Officer OF HEALTH wrote the Secretary on the 12th inst.:-1 beg to give notice that I will move at the next regular meeting of the Sanitary Board That the Sanitary Board directs in accordance with Bye. law 19, made under section 13 of Ordinance 15 of 1894, that a site some 150 yards to the west of Kennedytown Hospital and 150 yards to the east of the Telegraph House, may be used for the cremation of the bodies of persons that have died of bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox, or such other epidemic, endemic, or contagious disease as may from time to time be duly noti- fied in the Government Gazette, in accordance with the custom of the race to which the de- ceased belonged.”
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some reason for it.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said the only reason he could imagine was the reason he suggested the other day. When the Bye- laws were reconstructed and came before the Board there was no objection. Of course he was only speaking from memory.
The PRESIDENT-That prevents absolutely the Chinese from being oremated.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE said they were inserted to obviate the doing of what was proposed to be done by the Board the other day, and that was the tramping under foot of a custom of a race by cremating the Chinese. He seconded the motion.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said that this was only a temporary measure; it did not bind them except for the time being.
The motion was carried.
THE DISPOSAL OF DISEASED CARCASES,
A letter having been received from the COLONIAL SECRETARY concerning the advis ability of burying the carcases of infected cat le in quick lime,
The COLONIAL VETERINARY SURGEON re- ported-In all outbreaks of rinderpest or cattle plague which have occurred in the United Kingdom up to the present time (the last was a small one in 1897) it has been the invariable practice to bury the carcases of the infected animals in their skins not less than six feet deep in earth, and to cover them with quick. lime. This is also done in the event of any animals dying or which have been destroyed on account of anthrax infection. Such being the case I am of opinion that if these measures are considered to be sufficient in the United Kingdom, where the strictest precautions are always taken to prevent the spread of animal diseases, the same procedure will meet all requirements in the colony of Hongkong.
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This report was forwarded to the Colonial Secretary by Dr. Clark, Acting Secretary of the Sanitary Board, who remarked, "I am directed to add that the Sanitary Board do not concur in the opinion expressed therein."
The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY, reply ing on April 6th, wrote His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government much regrets that the Sanitary Board does not con- cur in the opinion of the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon that the carcases of infected cattle should be buried in quick lime and not burned. Excellency is of firm opinion that the system of burying in quick lime must have been found efficacious or it would not have been employed in similar circumstances in Great Britain, and desires me to express the hope that the Sanitary Board will adopt the cheaper, the more rapid, and the completely satisfactory process of dis- posing of the carcases advised by Mr. Ladds.
Minutes of April 9th :-
His
Mr. N J. EDE--As already mentioned,. I think a place for burying these animals should be set apart and never used for any other pur- I think that would be quite safe. Buru- pose. ing is safer of course, but too expensive.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH—I agree with the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-It seems to me that either burning or burying under six feet of earth would be equally efficacious, aud that the Board should adopt the cheaper method. I see much difficulty in digging nine feet deep on the hill-side.
[April 23, 1898. the resolution of the Board passed at a special meeting held on Tuesday, the third of March, 1898, with reference to the disposal of the carcases of diseased animals be rescirded.” ·.
The ACTING REGISTRAR-GENERAL-I agree with the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, but why not sink the bodies at sea.
On the 16th instant the Medical Officer of Health gave notice that at the next regular meeting of the Board he would more:-"That
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, in pro.. posing this motion, said his reason for doing so was that there was a resolution standing on the minutes of the Board to the effect that the "carcases of any cattle which die must be burned, not buried." So long as that resolu- tion stood the officers of the Board were bound to carry out that process of the destruction of the carcase. But as members were aware the Government were disinclined to support the Board on this point. The Government thought the burying of a carcase was equally as effica- cious as the cremation of the carcase and was less expensive. Although the Board had under by-law discretion as to the disposal of carcases they had none when it came to a question of funds, and it practically rested with the Go- vernment to say what should be done.
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The PRESIDENT, in seconding, said that although burning was a more scientific means of disposing of cattle dying from rinderpest, it seemed the custom in England to bury them seven feet below the earth. When he supported the original motion he did so because he thought that they would have a difficulty in burying seven feet below the level of the earth, on ao- count of there being so much granite. found he was mistaken.
The motion was carried.
He
THE INSANITARY PROPERTIES COMMISSION. The MEDICAL Officer oF HEALTH said he had received a report from the Colonial Secre- tary forwarding the report of the Insanitary Properties Commission.
On the motion of the CAPTAIN SUPERIN- tendent of POLICE, seconded by the PEESI- DENT, it was decided that the matter be deferred to the next ordinary meeting of the Board.
THE ALLEGED IMPORTATION OF DEAD
MEAT.
The PRESIDENT reported:-Macao, April 7th I have the honour to report that undoubtedly rinderpest exists and has been rag.ng around Canton for the past two months. It is not confined to Canton, but is distributed all over the d-'n of the West River. Accompanied by Mr. Brenan, the British Consul-General, I visited the Shameen Dairy Farm yesterday morning and ascertained that 12 days ago sick- ness commenced amongst the cattle at that farm, but of 32 head of cattle 13 have been affected up to the present date. Of these 13 four have died. There are at present nine sick. On inspecting the cattle with Mr. Brenan I found another that was evidently suffering from rinderpest (cattle plague). It presented the following symptoms: (a) run- ning at the nose and nostrils, (b) laboured breathing, (c) discharge from the vagina, (d) general weakness, prostration, (e) on taking its temperature it was found to be 104. I could not ascertain what had been done with the carcases of the four that had died. I pointed out to the Consul the danger to the public health of the settlement that this disease con- stituted, and recommended (1) that all the cattle on the farm be immediately slaughtered, (2) that the dairy sheds be burned, (3) the ground on which they stood should be covered with chloride of lime and dug over, (4) the slaughtered cattle should be burned, or failing the practicability of this taken out to sea, heavily and securely weighted, and sunk. I fear from what was stated that the carcases of the diseased cattle may have been sold to Chinese butchers. Mr. Lyndberg, the man. ager of the farm, informed me that he cured" one cow last week that had had the disease, but this I very much doubt. N. B.-Since return- ing to Maçao I have received information of the existence for some weeks back of rinderpest in this colony. I am making further enquiries, and will report later. The Acting British Consul is my informant.
Minutes appended :-
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH—The protection of the colony from the importation of diseased meat is already provided for by sec- tion 22 of Ordinance 17 of 1887 and substituted Bye-law 14 made under schedule. D of that Ordinance.
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