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November 10, 1900.)
"(1) To authorise the clearing away of the brushwood and rank vegetation around this house. (This is being done at the present mo- ment by the Botanical Department, but unless repeated at regular intervals-say once a quar- ter-the effect will be only transient.)
(2) To instruct the Public Works Depart- iment to clear the bed of the nullah of all loose stones and rocks within a radius of 500 yards of the dwelling; to fill up all holes with concrete; and to form and grade the bed of the stream with & continuous fall.
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(3) To cover the small water-tank on the roadside which supplies a portion of the depot.
(4) To demolish the disused and dilapidated mat-shed in the rear of the old Tang Wah Hospital Mortuary.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE RÉPORT.
publish this report and carry out the sugges- tions made."
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it was very doubtful whether they did not take the malaria with them. In any case the matter Mr. Osborne:-Apart from any steps the Board may ask the Government to tako, this now before them. They had information from was in a very vague state. It was, however, report of Dr. Clark should be printed and pub-home that experiments carried out in Italy had lished for the information of the public."
been an unqualified success. They had proved most malarious district without becoming afflict- undoubtedly that men were able to live in the ed with discaso simply by taking precautions against the bites of mosquitoes. Os-ground he thought they ought to try and On this do what they could to the thing had in regard to this colony.
see what value.
He felt certain it would do no harm to
Mr. McKie."I agree with Mr. Osborne." Mr. Chan A Fook:-"I agree and believe this report will be translated into Chinese and published in the Chinese newspapers as well." Mr. Fung Wa Chun:-"I think Mr. borne's suggestion should be adopted."
The PRESIDENT said be had not seen Mr. May's minute before, but he agreed most em- phatically with every word of it. He had lived theory as to the mosquitoes should be thoroughly 35 years in the tropics, and he thought this With the exception of the clearing and investigated before they jumped at conclusions. proper grading of the nullah these are compara-minute he had prepared a resolution which he Dr. CLARK said that in view of Mr. May's tively trivial improvements, and without the thought would meet the requirements. He former they will have very little effect
upon the prevalence of malaria in the district, so that anopheles and malaria had been proved far more thought the theory as to the relation between the Board should urge upon the Government conclusively than any of them ever anticipated, the absolute necessity of spending money upon and he thought that a theory which had held good improving this nullah and maintaining it in a
in almost every part of the world would be found proper condition."
to hold good in China. He should like to move: -"That the Board recommend the Government to depute an officer of the Medical Department to investigate and report upon the facts detailed in the minute of the Captain Superintendent of Police, with a view to ascertaining whether the occurrence of malaria among Europeans in this Colony is mainly dependent upon the existence of the anopheles mosquito and the proximity of native dwellings." it would be impossible for him to undertake This was a work which himself, as he had quite enough work already to occupy his time, but he believed there were several medical men in the colony who could work out the matter. It would, however, take a man's whole time for a few months.
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The following minutes were appended :- The Hon. F. H. May." The deductions set out in the M.O.H.'s interesting report have not been made from experience gained in China, but in other countries. I am prepared to prove that they do not hold good in this part of the world, and I therefore advise that they be not yot accepted and acted upon.
Dr. BELL pointed out that before long a report dealing with this subject would be submitted. There Wus no doubt in any medical man's mind that anopheles caused malaria. It caused it in other parts of the world, and he was quite sure it caused it in China. The anopheles was not an easy chap to catch. Dr. Thomson had spent a great deal of time in investigating, and he had no doubt his report would come before the Board. His report would apply to the western and eastern ends of the town.
The Hon. F. H. MAY suggested that Dr. Clark should substitute for his motion one read- ing as follows:-That the Government be asked to depute a Medical Officer to investigate a report on the causes of the prevalence of ma- larial fever at certain police stations in the New Territoryland its absence at others." He said he had not advanced any theories in the minute he wrote. He simply found it stated by the Medical Officer that European houses should be over 500 yards from Chinese dwellings. This was directly antagonistic to the experience gained in the New Territory. He was aware that Dr. Thom- son had been making some investigations. Some mosquitoes were sent to him from the New Ter- ritory, and he begged to inform Dr. Bell that it was more easy to catch anopheles in the New Territory than he seemed to think. In some places they were all anopheles apparently. But what he really should like was that an officer should go over to the New Territory and live in the different stations in routine and try and find out why some of them were apparently free from malaria whilst others were full of it."
circulate Dr. Clark's report and also the minute of Mr. May.
Major BROWN-I should like to ask a ques- tion as to whether this proposal before the
Board is with reference to the mosquito alone New Territory? or any other possible cause of malaria in the
Dr. CLARK replied the mosquito was not mentioned in the resolution.
been left out and they had gone to the New Mr. McKIE asked why Kennedy-town had Territory. The order of the day said:- port on the Malarial Mosquito by the Modi- :-- "Re. cal Officer of Health with special reference to the Inspector's Quarters at Kennedy-town." He thought the resolution before the meeting was quite out of order.
The PRESIDENT ruled that the resolution was in order.
The Hon. F. H. May said a report was laid on the table as to Kennedytown, and he went New Territory, which were far more impor- off at a tangent about the Police Stations in the tant. There were 15 Police Stations in the house in Kennedytown, and he asked that a New Territory and only one little wretched medical officer might investigate the causes of malaria at certain Police Stations in the New Territory. If anybody wished to move a resolu- tion as to the Inspector's quarters at Kennedy- town it was open for him to do so.
On the motion being put to the meeting it was carried.
printed and circulated was proposed by Mr. A motion in favour of the report being OSBORNE and seconded by Dr. HARTIGAN, but it was not but to the meeting, on the suggestion of the President.
THE SANITARY BOARD AND PUBLIC WORKS.
The following letter, deted November 3rd, from the Colonial Secretary, was submitted :-
44
ult., I am directed to inform you that His In reply to your letter No. 154 of the 26th Excellency the Governor has already requested the Honourable Director of Public Works kind referred to by you, and any suggestions to send to the Sanitary Board all plans of the which the Board may feel disposed to make regarding such plans will receive careful consideration."
Over a year's experience in the New Terri- tory has proved that the Police Stations which are situated in the Chinese villages are much more free from malaria than the stations which on medical advice. were placed outside and at a distance from native villages. In one case the station was placed in an isolated position half a mile from a village. The site was so malarious that it was abandoned and the police quartered in the village amidst what were apparently most insanitary surroundings (including padi- fields on all sides and within a few feet of the front of the station), and yet the police have been very free from malaria in their new quarters in spite of the fact that anopheles have been found there. This dis- poses of rule No. 1 quoted in the M. O. H's minute. As to rule No. 2, it is impossible to enforce this rule in the New Territory except at large expense, because of the universal cul- tivation of padi. I take it that a padi-field constitutes an excellent breeding ground for anopheles. It contains water which is neither stagnant nor pure spring water. There are padi-fields near every Police Station except one in the New Territory in varying degrees of proximity, and yet some stations are malarious and others not. The difference can- not be explained by the presence or absence of anopheles, as far as the information at my desposal goes at present, as the following figures show:-Tai Po (very malarious) shows less than 40 per cent. of its mosquitoes to be anopheles. Tai O (very free from malaria) shows 50 per cent. of the specimens sent in to be anopheles. Ping Shaa (not so free as Tai O but much better than Tai Po) shows 50 per cent, anopheles.
The whole question requires to be thoroughly in vestigated on the spot. Theories deduced from investigations in other countries should not be accepted till justified by observation and ex- perience here. As to the recommendations to improve the health of the quarters of the
Some time ago the Board made the following Inspector of the Animal Depots I object to No. Dr. CLARK accepted Mr. May's suggestion. conditions subject to which persons suffering 2 of them. To do what is recommended would Mr. OSBORNE seconded. He said that in re- cost at a rough guess I should say $30,000. gard to his suggestion that the papers on the leave the colony-Any person suffering from from bubonic plague were to be permitted to The colony cannot afford such expensive ex- subject should be printed, he put that forward bubonic plague who wishes to leave the Colony pertments. It would be far cheaper to pull the with the idea that by making this subject one of may embark between the hours of 6 s.m. and place down and build it somewhere else. But general interest in the colony they might perhaps 6 p.m. at the Sutherland Street steps subject to I should like to see the evidence on which the gain some knowledge from those persons in the the following conditions:-(1) The patient or building is condemned as malarious. If every colony who were not blessed with techinical his friend shall notify the patient's name and Police Station were condemned because one knowledge and medical science but who had address or addresses at which he has been resid- European inhabiting it suffered continually from been attacked by these mosquitoes with a high- ing during the last ten days to an Officer of malaria there would be very few which would sounding title. He did not think it right to the Sanitary Board on duty at the wharf. (2) pass the standard. Some men get fever any attack the theory in the way Mr. May had done The destination to which the patient is to be where and everywhere others are fever-proof simply on the experience of a policeman, attach- removed shall be notified to the Officer on duty apparently. The average man can avoid a greated to the New Territory, because if they started at the wharf. (3) The patient or his friends deal of fever if he takes proper precautions with the assumption that the theory was work must provide a licensed junk, or licensed Have any instructions ever been laid down for less, they would not have the chance of proving boat (the latter to be towed by a launch) this Inspector, and if so has anyone ever taken whether it was worthless or not, because they in which the patient is to be removed, and the trouble to see them enforced ?”
would not be given the wherewithal to prosecute must furnish the Officer on duty with the the enquiries. The policemen in the New number of such junk or bost and the name Territory had only been there a short time, and 'of such steam-launch. (4) No removals will
Major Brown:-" Confirmation of this theory is accumulating daily, and it would be well to
Dr. HARTIGAN said that as the mover of the resolution, he begged to thank the Government for acceding to their request. He did not think they would regret having taken the Board into their confidence. thought the Government would find the Board He certainly quite as efficient in these matters heterogenous committees who had up to this as the been consulted in these matters.
have been consulted on every question, Dr. The PRESIDENT-The experts of this Board Hartigan.
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