December 8, 1898.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
are also
453
(equal to $40,000,000 Mexican) in considera-Hongkong, from its position and large trade the working of the Institute at Saigon, how- tion of resigning the Philippines. The way with the islands, will reap a substantial ever, does not appear to have been very has, it inust be confessed, been made easy share in the benefits accruing there encouraging, if we may accept the authority for her
when it is considered that it would from. Politically, too, the position will of a writer, evidently a professional man, in have her an unknown sum and a very undergo a great and notable change. The the Courrier de Saigon, who contributes an large number of lives to re-establish her rule United States will necessarily have to main interesting and instructive article on th in the islands, where the insurgents, flushed tain a large military force in the Philippines, whole question of hydrophobia in Indo- with many successes and disposed (owing to and the squadron, which formerly was a China. Having described the symptoms of the rapid triumph of American arms) to hold quantité negligeable, will henceforth be a the disense in animals and in mân, the the Spanish cheap, would have been pre- force to be reckoned with. As time goes writer suggests that popular imagination pared to fight to the bitter end for their on American trade with Eastern Asia will has exaggerated its terrors, which are freedom from priestly rule. The Carolines enormously increase and will become ex- less than those of lockjaw, whilst do not appear to be included in the scope of tremely valuable, always providing that the certain epileptic attacks the Treaty, but negotiations are proceeding, Anglo-Saxons do not allow the European tended by analagous conditions. He Reuter, tells us, for their cession, pre- Powers to create commercial reserves for then propounds the questions: Is hydro- sumably also to the United States, and for a themselves out of China and Siam. Both phobia frequent? Is it often fatal ? monetary consideration. These islands are Powers have, fortunately for their future What is the value of treatment? To of no great value to Spain, especially apart welfare, awakened to the fact that they the first question he replies that hydro- from the Philippines, and the Spanish Go- have interests to protect in these seas, and phobia is frequent in Indo-China, that vernment will no doubt be glad to be re- they will not stand quietly by and witness scarcely a year passes in which two or three lieved of the government of so distant a any further attempts to create new Tunisins patients under treatment or after treatment possession. It is reported that the United in this part of the world. There is no actual do not succumb, while other deaths occur States have it in view to offer Great Britain alliance between Great Britain and her in the interior, as, for instance, a few years an island as a coaling station, but we fail eldest daughter, but they have a very good ago at Travinh, where a woman affected with to see that there is any ground for such a understanding of what they want-"a fair the disense bit several persons. Taking report unless the offer be in liquidation of the field and no favour "--and they intend to only the reported cases and instituting a ancient lien the British Government held on have it. In all the world-wide British Em-comparison with France the conclusion is the Philippines for the unpaid ransom after pire there is freedom and a welcome for the arrived at that the disease is twice as pre- the evacuation of Manila. This claim has, foreign trader, who can carry on his business | valent in Indo-China.. The writer proceeds however, never been pressed on Spain with no restrictions and enjoy the same to throw ridicule on a belief which it and certainly would not be revived privileges as British subjects. The Ameri- appears exists at Saigon to the effect that in Washington. It was from no mer- cans intend to administer their outlying the disease was unknown there before the cenary spirit or from any sense of colonies on the same liberal principles, and establishment of the Pasteur Institute and favours to come that the British nation Germany, to her credit, has declared Kino- that to Dr. CALMETTE and his operations its upheld the United States in their quarrel chau a free port. It other Powers will actntroduction is due. He reminds those who with Spain and were determined to see fair reciprocally there need be no jealousies, hold this belief that Java and Sumatra have play during the conflict. It was the tie of heart burnings, intrigues, and misunder- always been recognised as the home of the kinship that produced The outburst of sym-standings, and the work of opening up that disease, and that it is very common in India, pathy; it was, as EMERSON puts it, "the great oyster Chiba to commerce and civiliza- the South of China, and Tonkin itself, and "voice of blood, more audible than tion may proceed amicably and rapidly,
that it is absurd to suppose that Cochin- speech," that drew the two nations to-
China, in the midst of the countries named, gether.
should have enjoyed immunity. Further
The war is over now, but its lessons will HYDROPHOBIA AND THE PASTEUR more, the Saigon hospital records show
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TREATMENT.
cases to have occurred anterior to the estab lishment of the Institute.
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not soon be lost: the new spirit of brother- hood between the Anglo-Saxons will not
(Daily Press 28th November). die out or readily cool down. The Great The Sanitary Board at its last meeting But, asks the writer in our Saigon Republic has won easily and with compara-adopted a resolution recommending the content orary, if the Institute has done tively small loss in either blood or treasure. Government to introduce an Ordinance em- no harm, has it done any good? Very She has acquired some new and great posses-powering the Board to prohibit for definite little, is the answer given, in so far sions which will give her for some time periods the importation of dogs from places as hydrophobia is concerned. A tribute is perhaps more trouble than profit, but which at which hydrophobia is reported to exist paid to the ability with which the estab in the end will prove of incalculable value' and also empowering them to makelishment has been conducted, and to the It was the apparently unalterable policy of by-laws for regulating generally the im- services it has rendered in other directions, the United States not to acquire territory portation of dogs into the colony. s in the supply of vaccine lymph, but the outside the boundaries of the American con- There have recently been several deaths writer says he thinks very little of the tinent; but circumstances have proved strong from hydrophobia at Shanghai to the north Pasteur treatment as applied to hydro er than tradition, toore potent even than the and in Tonkin to the south and with the phobia. The expression of such an opinion, constitution. This change has not been danger thus brought so closely home to us he says, has almost the air of a blasphemy, inaugurated lightly or readily Neither of it.is the duty of the Board to devise means but no one more than he admires the the great political parties favoured it at
to protect the colony from the introduction work of the first savant of the cen first, but the trend of events in the Far of the disease if it can. The idea of prohi | tury; to enumerate all that he has East probably convinced American statesmen biting for definite periods the importation of done would be to write the history of bio- more than anything else that the United dogs from places at which hydrophobia is logical science; all bacteriology, all the States could not long continue a policy of reported to exist does not, however, strike us immunising serums, are derived from his isolation if she wished to retain her fair as promising to prove an effective measure. discoveries, and if the discovery of a sure share of trade with Eastern countries. They Nothing short of a long period of quaran-treatment for hydrophobia is ever made the have latterly witnessed the spectacle of tine for every animal imported, as in credit will be his in great part. Returning Great Britain standing alone in Asia in England, or absolute prohibition of the im- to Cochin-China, since the introduction of sisting on the policy of the "open door" portation of dogs, as at Singapore, could be the anti-hydrophobia treatment the number to foreign trade while all the other Euro-regarded as affording any real security, and of deaths has remained about stationary. In pean Powers showed a disposition to fight
France the number has slightly declined. for their own hand. It was obviously the
│The mortality from the bites of und dogs was duty, as it was the interest, of the United
formerly ten per cent. of the reported cases. States to support their parent in the attempt
The Pasteur method has reduced it to one. to preserve open markets, and the opport-
per cent. Without going so far as to say unity of securing a firm foothold in the Far
that the Institute counts cases in which the East, such as the possession of the Philip- Allied with the question of the prevention | individual was not infected, it is evident pines would give them, was manifestly of hydrophobia is that of its treatment that the number of reported cases has too good to be lost.
should the disense unfortuna:ély be con- enormously increased. The actual morta- With the advent of the American tracted. There is a Pasteur Institute atlity figures are exact, but the former pro- Power in the Far East, n new era Saigon and another at Nagasaki; to one or portion f ten per cent. to the reported will commence here. The resources other of these it is usual to send suspicious cases possibly have been in reality and trade of the Philippines, always cases of dogbite from other ports of the from two to four per cent. if the cases had held in check by the misrule and illiberal Far East, and a proposal for the establish been sought out with the same care that the fiscal and customs policy of Spain, willment of a similar Institute at Shanghai has patients now take in submitting themselves? undergo great and rapid development, and recently been advanced. The experience of to treatment. The one per cent,, too, is in
even such drastic measures as these would be of doubtful efficacy in Hongkong, for we do not see how dogs could be prevented straying across the Kowloon frontier from the ad- joining Chinese territory, where rabies is
understood to be endemic.
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