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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
islands to the United States for muster out will begin about January 1st, 1901. It is proposed to return the regiments as nearly as practicable in the order of arrival in the Philip. pines, and these men will be replaced by regular troops to be sent from the United States. At the sarae time instructions were issued concerning the carrying out of the details of the movem nts under the supervision of the Department Com- manders, who will assemble the regiments at Manila or elsewhere, as may be directed from Headquarters. Under this arrangement the 37th Volunteer Infantry and the 11th Volun-I teer Cavalry will be the first troops to return and their date of departure is set for New Year's Day.
THE U. 8. MILITARY DIFFICULTY.
This is all very well, and brings joy to the hearts of the Volunteers, but it certainly seems as though the War Department is count- ing its chickens before they are hatched. Under the actual conditions existing to-day there is no provision for the raising of new regiments to replace the Volunteers, and there are not enough regular troops stationed in the United States to do more than maintain order in their several districts. In fact the States have never in their history been in a much worse position as regards home protection. Almost the entire army is on foreign service. For the last three weeks Congress has been struggling with the Army Bill, and up to to-day we have had no notice of its passage or rejection. This most important Bill provides for the necessary in- crease in the forces that will admit of the substitution of regular troops for the present Volunteers. Its provisions were framed to authorize the raising of an army sufficiently large to immediately relieve the twenty-four infantry regiments and the 11th Cavalry now in the Philippines. It is in this way only that the Volunteers can be returned to America, Even the most optimistic person will concede that it would be impossible to withdraw the volunteer army without ruining all hope of success in the archipelago. In view of these conditions it is surprising that we hear of the order for the return of all the Volunteers before the decision of Congress is known. In the meantime we must put faith in Congress and the War Department and take it for granted that they thoroughly understand each other.
A CRITICAL PERIOD. į Doubtless since the election of President McKinley and the persistent assurances of the military heads, especially General Otis, that the war is all over, the public is howling for the return of the troops and the reduction of the war expenditures. It is to be hoped that the experienced administration will legislate in such a way that the islands will be adequately garris soned, so that some good may come of the hard- fought position that the United States occupy here to-day. It is a critical period where the slightest let up in the military activity will lead to the greatest of disasters and to the loss of practically all that has been gained during more than two years of war.
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CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA.
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[December 29, 190). quito fiends will say that cannot be proved, unless they can erect singasometer in some suitable place. If, however, they will study the start of any new excavations, and take samples of the coolies' blood, as soon as they break down with fever, I have no doubt the malarial germ will be found in sufficient num- bers to convince them.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS, Coming now to the improvements around Hongkong, 19th December. the sanatorium at Magazine Gap, I see that SIE,-As a visitor come to this charming all the undergrowth and grass is being stripped island to recover from a "little go" of malaris, off, as it is supposed to shelter the mosquitoes. have naturally been much interested in the Clearing off the grass is a fatal mistake, as it is improvements (?) now going on with the hope taking away the only covering the soil has of stamping out the disease. I have been a got. When the heavy rains break, they will heary loser by it myself, both in health and tear down the bare hillsides in torrents, carry- pocket, for the past dozen years, and my ex-ing away all the surface soil. The effect will be as turning over fresh soil, all the perience as a practical man-not a medical- the same will be corroborated by all other practical men gasses will be set free and there will be far
more malaria than formerly.
doing outdoor work in the tropics.
The ex-
Dr. Manson, in whom all tropical men As regards the site of the Sanatorium itself have the greatest faith, originated the I would unhesitatingly condemn it as un- mosquito theory. Major Ross proved that healthy, and would pull the building down and only one variety of mosquito carried the remove it elsewhere.. No amount of tinkering malarial garm. Dr. Manson, in the person will ever make the site an healthy one. It of his son, proved that the malarial mosquito has been proved, time and again, in different did not of itself give fever, but acted only as a places in the tropics, that houses situated on transmitting agent. He brought several lots top of a small hill, surrounded by higher of malarial mosquitoes from Rome. His son hills, are invariably unhealthy. allowed himself to be freely bitten by all, but it planation is a perfectly simple one in the was only after the 4th or 5th lot that he deve- present instance. All the miasma from Hong- loped malaria. They were all the true malarial kong on one side rises up through Magazine mosquito and had all come from a very feverish and Wanchai Gaps, and from Aberdeen and district; still only some 20 per cant. had the Deep Water Bay on the other side. The whole power to produce fever. As another experiment of this miasma is either concentrated on the two enterprising doctors took out a small mos- Sanatorium or drifting through it. The mist quito-proof house, and erected it in a notori- rolls down over the hills, prevents the miasma ously malarial district, in the Campagna near from rising any higher and holds it there, until Rome, and took every care not to get bitten by dispersed by the sun at 7.30 or 8 a.m. mosquitoes. They lived in this for some two other countries where there are higher moun months, and because they did not develop malaria tains I have seen the clouds hang in a in that short period a large number of our medi-series of 3 and 4 parallel belts. According cal men at once say 2 and 2 make 5 and that to the shapes of the surrounding hills, This is the heights vary in different localities, but mosquitoes are the sole cause of malaria. quite overlooking Dr. Manson's proof that they the mist always hangs the same in any one are only transmitting agents.
place. These clouds Ĩ call malarial mist belts, I can quote the cases of many young men and if a house is built in one of them it invari who have come to the tropics and lived in the ably proves unhealthy. I have known it healthy most malarial districts for years. The native up to 100 or 200 feet, deadly at 300, healthy from labour round them was dying off like sleep, | 400 to 1000, deadly at 1100, healthy from 1200 to and still they did not develop fever, for two or 1700, deadly at 180, and so on up to heights three years, although bitten by millions of mos over 3000 feet. This explains why natives quitoes in that time. This shows that something living on the edge of a swamp are often in their constitution resisted the malarial germ, quite healthy, while the European, in his and that they were not “fever subjecta.“ bungalow, on a lovely site on the hill above,
In
The two months test in the Campagna was is frequently suffering from fever. Lastly, therefore quite inadequate, as those two par- as a word of warning, if your medical at ticular individuals might not have developed tendant is a mosquito maniac, avoid him as malaria, had they lived in their hut for any you would a mad dog, or a man running number of years. The mosquito-proof hut was amuck. Either of these can at most kill but in itself a great protection, as in addition to a few individuals, while the doctor under the keeping out mosquitoes it also kept out the cloak of science slays his tens and invalids miasma (on the principle of the Humphry hundreds more.—
Yours, etc., Davy lamp.)
REAL
It has been the experience of all practical men in the tropics, for generations, that wherever the soil is disturbed, for any new work of any kind whatsoever, the native labour ers resident on the work at once develop malaria. The European having a better constitution, and living better, generally resists it longer than the native.
VISITOR.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
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Hongkong, 22nd December. SIR-I was very much interested in the letter under above heading and over the signature of Visitor." It is refreshing to hear the views of a man blessed with commonsense in contra-
All the long record of malaria from Hong-distinction to the faddists run mad, who, being kong to Panama, is now entirely forgotten and overlooked by our mosquito doctors. They have mounted their hobby, and like the beggar on horseback are riding to the devil.
I have heard of one, the most dangerous local maniac, cornered by a friend, who argued him round the circle backwards, from the point that mosquitoes cause malaria, to the point that the mosquito had to get it from somewhere else first, when asked where then did malaria originate" get out of it by saying he might as well ask him the Origin of Species. He admit- ted the weak point in his hobby, but goes on riding it gaily all the same.
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"Palinurus " writes in the N.-C. Daily News, saying:-" At the present day we hear and read a good deal about the British Sphero of
wretched sciolists, simply spend public money Influence in the Yangtze Valley, and it is not
and slay innocent persons to gratify their own unlike the battle cry of On to Richmond' in
preposterous and idiotic whims. Is there no the United States during the Civil War. The
anthority who can take charge of these eccen masterly inactivity on all sides is surprising,
tric persona and prevent them from making the and this phraseology seems sufficient to shape
island a hot-bed of fever in their rage to the course while all goes to seed. The Yangtze
prove a theory which is so obviously rotten? River, if viewed in any light, is rather a
The mosquito, like the flea or the fly, might, neglected and unknown quantity. The British
perhaps, under certain circumstances-predis- Admiralty charts are so obsolete and in want of
posing state of the blood or existence of correction that a British Navy Officer cannot
fetid water in the vicinity-convey poison to trust to them to navigate H. M. ships in the
the sick or the weak, but I do not believe they daylight, and the Navy is obliged to employ
carry malaria to the healthy. I have lived in unlicensed pilots to guide the war-ships in these
the tropics nearly thirty years and have been muddy waters, for, strange to say, there are no It is common sense to accept the long bitten by countless mosquitoes, but I have licensed pilots above Woosung. More wonder-established fact that malaria is caused by a never had fever. The upturning of disinte ful still, it is the only place in the world where poisonous gas emitted from the soil. The heat grated granite and the formation of death a British steamer can be manned and run with- of a tropical sun beating on the earth all day traps in the shape of bad drains are, in out the captain and officers holding_certificates. causes fermentation and decay of both mineral my opinion, the main causes of fever of The lighting of the Yangtze has hardly been and vegetable matter in the soil. At night the all kinds, both malarial and typhoid, in this changed since the river was opened to trade." earth_returns its heat to the atmosphere, and colony. Another cause for ordinary fever, and "Palinurns" concludes:-"The Sphere of In- with it gives off poisonous vapours.
that the most common of all, in the rashness of finance in the future, we hope, will be less Disturb the soil and these vapours are given persons—particularly griffins--who will overhent one-sided, and have mora light in its' pro- I off in such increased volume that malaria themselves or overtire themselves by exercise
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gramma.”
is at once produced. I suppose our mos- down below or by too long indulgence in swim-
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