January 6, 1900].
the House. Two of the children died in Macao shortly after their arrival there.
.
The children who were attacked were all between the ages of four and seven, and all of them slept in a series of adjacent ground floor rooms. These rooms are thoroughly well lit and ventilated and have close-boarded floors, which are pointed. Some children who slept in ground-floor rooms in another part of the build- ing were not attacked, nor were any of the girls who slept 'upstairs. No European cases have occurred.
"The children's dietary appears to be a most generous one, comprising rive, eggs, fish (fresh and salt on alternate days), meat (beef or pork,) at every evening meal and thrice a week with the morning meal.
"The special points about the outbreak seem to be the unusually early age of the patients (all between four and seven), the absence of overcrowding, and the abundant lighting and ventilation of the premises and the liberal dietary.
"We must assume, I suppose, that the infec tion of the disease, which resides in the soil, and is not transmissable from one human being to another except through the medium of fonites containing the germ, was conveyed by the European nurse in her clothing, or more probably, perhaps, in the soil adhering to her boots from the Blind Home to the Berlio Foundling House; that it there developed rapidly, and that the children sleeping in the ground fibor rooms nearest to the nurse's apart. ment were poisoned by the tocsin generated by the Infected germ. The fact that two children who required surgical dressings were the first to develop symptoms of the disease is only in accord with the accepted teaching, but I think that, in view of the very brief interval between their sickness and that of the rest of the children, these latter did not contract the disease from the first two but that all derived infection from the same source.
"I recommend that the Blind Home be thoroughly overhauled before it is again oc- cupied, and that all the ground surfaces be con- creted beneath the boarded floors.
"I also recommend that the infected rooms at the Berlin Foundling House be thoroughly disinfected, lime-washed and repainted, and that if there is no concrete beneath the floors this be done before the children are permitted to return to the House."
The President minuted :-"This outbreak presents many peculiar features.. (1) The early age of those attacked; (2) the intensity of the infection and the rapidity with which it attacked the children at the Berlin Foundling House. This points more to some common cause, such as food. (4) As against the soil theory may be adduced the fact that the disease is not so infec- tions amongst Chinese adults; e.g., when it occurs in a house it does not spread as a rule to the other inmates."
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE RÉPORT,
AN APPLICATION REFUSED.
asking for permission to retain a cattle-shed An application was received from Sing Kee within city limits for three months.
On the motion of the VICE-PRESIDENT, refused. seconded by Dr. CLARK, the application was
PROPOSED EXTENSION OF THE CENTRAL
MARKET.
of repealing section 19 of Ordinance 24 of | number of deaths reported amongst the animals. 1887 (the Public Health Ordinance). Section during the past six months was-cattle 785. 19 provided that whenever a breach of the Bye-buffaloes 29. The total number of villages laws was committed the offender should receive visited by him during fifteen days while on a tour a reasonable notice before any further action of inspection in the New Territory was 204. was taken. Bye-laws, in connection with which the question mud hovels, and during dry weather were With regard to the Limewasbing The cattle were housed in wet weather în small was raised, the effect of this section was this: generally placed in a compound situated in at the conclusion of the two months which were given to householders in which, their house, to
front of the villages. Many of these compounds were covered with a layer of cemert or lime. limewash if the limewashing had not been done Mr. Ladds added :—“ notice had to be given them by the Board cal-
"I may mention that from ling upon them to comply with the Bye-laws. and Taipo there is a great amount of straw and the districts of Shatin, Pingshan. Chun Wan That notice had to be a reasonable time, and the paddy supplied to the various dairies in Hong- question of a reasonable time had been raised kong." by several property owners. For instance, if a property owner neglected to limewash 50, 6), or 100 houses, the board had to give a month's or six weeks' notice for each house, so that the Limewashing Bye law practically became of very Ittle effect. At the present moment they were in January, 1900, and during November and December of last year. 2,640 houses ought to have been lime-washed. Something less than 2.000 had been done, so that some 600 were untouched during November and December. perty owner offending a separate notice for At present the Board had to give every pro- every house, and serve the notices personally and give a reasonable time in which to do the work. Section 19, as it was now interpreted by the law officers of the Crown, put unreasonable obstacles in the way of carrying out the Sanitary Bye-laws. law which required a householde: to notify oue Bye- of infectious disease which might occur in his house. Under the present in- terpretation of this section they could not deal with the householder for not notifying until they had first of all given him a week's notice to notify. Of course the thing was ab. solutely absurd. Then there was a Bye-law which said that two bodies should not be buried in one grave. When this Bye-law was contra- vened they had to give the man a week's notice. telling him he bad not to do it. even if he had done it already, before they could take action. There was another Bye-law which said that a body should not be disinterred without permission, and if a body was disinterred without permission they had to give the offender reasonable notice-tell him not to do it. Then another By-elaw said a common lodging honse should not be converted into a brothel—the actual words were that the keeper was not to harbour bad characters. If a man kept a lodging-house he was provided with a copy of the Bye-laws, and it was only reasonable to expect he should comply with them. present, the keeper of a common lodging-house However, at
a case
There was
common
was entitled to a reasonable notice if he had committed an offence before any action could he taken. Section 19 of the Public Health Ordinance said "It shall be lawful for the Board" to issue notices; it did not say the Board must, but it had been interpreted as meaning "the Board must. The Board had enormons difficulties affection, Beri-placed in their way in prosecuting for breaches of the Bye-laws. There were some matters
Dr. Hartigan minuted: -"The Blind House has had an unhealthy reputation for years. Fever, followed by nervu bori ?"
The VICE PRESIDENT proposed that the pre- mises be disinfected in accordance with the recommendation of the Medical Officer, and that if the ground surfaces are found not to be concreted the owner be called upon to concrete them
The Hon. R. D. ORMSBY seconded and the otion was carried.
THE LIMEWASHING QUESTION. Papers were submited dealing with the pro- posal to alter the law as to procedure for breaches of Bye-laws made under section 13 of Ordinance 24 of 1897.
The PRESIDENT said the papers had been circulated and members would see that they practically meant an alteration of some sig. nificance to the Public Health Ordinance.
The SECRETARY—As it stands it necessitates notices being given.
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I think it would be best to draft what amendment we consider necessary and forward it to the Government.
Dr. CLABE-It is only the repeal of section 19 which is suggested.
The VICE-PESIDENT—Which obliges us to give notice.
Dr. CLARK—Yes. Ile added that he was pre- pared to move that the Board obtain the opinion of the Attorney-General as to the advisability
Surgeon), in a comunication dated December Mr. C. Vivian' Ladds (Colonial Veterinary
for the wholesale and retail dealers in poultry 20th, suggested that as the necessity of a warket and fresh fish had long existed, and as the reclamation of the Prays in front of the present suitable place for such Central Market would when fiuished be a very a building, the Board should advise the Government to retain there prove to be more space than would be the site for this purpose. He added that should required for the putting up of these shops and ably utilised as vegetable stalls, and so provide stalls the remainder of the area could be profit- accommodation for many of the hawkers who at present infest the streets and bye-ways of the Central District.
better enquire what decision the Government Dr. Clarke minuted:-"The Board had
has arrived at."
has, I believe, been already decided."
The Hon. R. D. Ormsby minuted :-"This
T
The Hou, R. D. OM8Br observed that it bad always been understood that the land re- claimed in frout of the Central Market should not be sold, and the question of erecting a fish. market there had been considered by Govern-
ment.
by Dr. HARTIGAN, it was decided to forward On the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded,
the report to Government.
THE PLAGUE AT NAGASAKI.
the British Consulate at Nagasaki was submit- A communication dated December 16th from
recently occurred within the jurisdiction of the ted. It stated that two cases of pest had Consulate-a boy employed on a small Japanese steamer and a man who resided in the immediate Leighbourhood of Nagasaki.
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The death rate for the colony of Hongkong for the week ended December 16ta was 228 against 2), and 15 3 for the corresponding week last year. The death rate for the following week was 20-1, against 18-9 for the correspond- were drafting week last year.
required notices, but these cases dealt with by the Bye-laws which reasonably with as uuisances under section 18 of the Or. dinance. It would be a hardship to prosecute without notice people who had committed a tech- nical breach of the law. It might be considered a technical breach of the law if the fall of a drain was in the wrong direction. In such a case a man would not be prosecuted in the
first instance bat served with a nuisance notion
under section 18 to lay the drain in a proper
manner.
Dr. HARTIGAN, in seconding, said they ought to inform the Government that as it now stood the section placed the Board in a perfectly ridiculous position.
The motion was carried.
AMENDED CUCKLOFT REGULATIONS. Proof of amended Cockloft Regulations were submitted for further consideration, and on the motion of the VICE-PRESIDENT, seconded by DE. CLARK, it was decided to forward the Re- gulations as amended to Government.
RINDERPEST IN THE NEW TERRITORY. Mr. Ladds (Colonial Veterinary Surgeon) the New Territory. He stated that the grand submitted a report on cattle and rinderpest in total of cattle there was 3,416, the grand total of buffaloes being 1,862. The grand total
*
The deaths in Macao for the week ended Dec. 17th numbered 59, of which five were from typhoid fever anl two from beri-beri,
LIMEWASHING IN THE WESTERN DISTRICT.
Dr. CLARK said that out of 2,500 houses in the Western District only 2,050 were limewashed during the mouths of November and Decem. ber, so that they had practically 6) tenements in the Western District not limewashed. He
asked for power to serve notices on the offenders and to prosecute them.
The Hon. R. 1). QɛMSBY seconded, and the motion was carried.
CONCRETING.
An application for exemption from concreting the site of stones at 90), Queen's Road Central, until such time as they are taken down at s later date was granted on the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by the VICE-PRE-
SIDENT.
This was all the businesI.
The Norddeutscher Lloyd have taken over the Scottish Oriental Steamship Company as a going concern, the officers having been given the option to remain in the service for the next four years.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.