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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
December, 1898, to October, 1899, he kept Hongkong is in bi-weekly communication by pressing Carmichael, who kept excusing himself sea with Pakhoi. severe epidemic of plague from transferring these shares, and that thereby occurred there in 1883. Plague was undoubtedly Carmichael showed an obvious intention to present for ten years previously, yet- no case oc retain the shares for his own use. He sub-curred in Hongkong until 1894, by which time mitted that the evidence of Ritchie had the disease had travelled overland to Canton, most hopelessly broken down. He submitted whence we were infected. Special attention that the figures 1899 had been altered to is drawn to the spread of infection by means 1898 simply for the purposes of that case--for of rats, and the necessity for destroying these the purpose of trying to get a committinent vermin. Locally much has been done in this con- against an innocent man.
nection, but I cannot say it leads to much tan- gible result. On ship-board, where passengers are brought into such close proximity with rats, this danger is specially important. In one of the cabins of a steamer in which two Europeans got plague, dead infected rats were found im- mediately behind the bunks. Likewise Mon. golian and Siberian plague was found to be accompanied and spread by a similar disease amongst a species of marmot.
His Worship said he had examined the figures through a watchmaker's glass, and he could see distinctly that there was a 9 which had been altered to 8.
is
The author states (p. 167) that bubonic plague common to man and many of the lower animals. Rats and marmots are so far the only animals, known to suffer from plague, unless deliberately infected. Rinderpest is not plague, though at one time thought to be the same disease. When the plague was in South China pigs were dying of some disease, but it did not prove to be plague.
Mr. Slade, continuing, said it was perfectly obvious that the money for the shares was paid in 1899, and yet Mr. Ritchie went into the box and stuck to it through thick and thin that the money was paid in 1898. Ritchie apparently had no interest; apparently he was a free and independent witness brought there by force by subpoena, yet he, beyond a shadow of doubt, must have most deliberately lied in referemos to the date in which he paid the money. Mr. Slade proceeded to ridicule the idea of a man in Mr. Carmichael's position attempt- sig fraud of this kind for the sake of $100 worth of shares in a company in which he held nine-tenths of the shares, and in conclusion "Plague depends on social and hygienic submitted that the case was not one to be sent rather than on climatic conditions, more especi- before a jury, and asked his Worship to disally on filth and overcrowding saturation of charge the defendant.
soil with animal refuse, body vermin and other vermin spread disease. It is not so infections as scarlet fever, measles or even typhus." (The author has not seen any of the Irish epidemics of this disease else he would have omitted the adverb). "Particular floors of houses are infected, other floors escaping." This is a fact of which the writer has personal knowledge, and is difficult to fit in with the rat theory of infection; they certainly do not confine their visits to one floor. The incubation period may extend to 15 days, in a case which occurred recently on board a mail steamer the incubation period was 14 days. The longest period previously noted in Hong- kong was 10 days and this was exceptional. This is most important in its bearing on quar- antine, regulations and the consequent incon venience and loss to shippers.
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His Worship, after recapitulating the six counts, said that before the defendant could possibly be convicted under any one of these six counts it was absolutely necessary that an intent to defraud should be proved. What was the meaning of the words "intent to defraud? He did not know that he could give a better meaning than that expressed by Chief Baron Pollock, "to defraud means to cheat a person out of something." The story of the prosecution was that ten shares were sold by Archibald Harper to Ritchie on the 22nd December, 1898. After the purchase of the shares Ritchie was constantly pressing that they should be transferred and that it was not until the 27th October, 1899, that the shares were transferred. To support this allegation Ritchie was put into the box and he swore absolutely that he had purchased these shares on the 22nd December, 1898. He had examined the figures, and he had no doubt that 1898 had been altered from 1899. The figure was simply altered with the object of trumping up this allegation of in- tent to defraud. He considered that the defen- dant was not guilty and ordered his discharge. Mt. Slade made an application under section 832 of Ordinance 14 of 1845, which provides for amends being awarded for frivolous in- formation, asking that Harley should be ordered to pay the costs, but
His Worship could not see his way to accede to the request, observing that it would be for Carmichael to prove malice.
REVIEWS.
Tropical Diseases: A Manual of the Diseases -101 Warm Climates. BY PATRICK MANSON, M.G., M.D., LL.D. Revised and enlarged edition. London, Cassell & Co.
(Second Notice.)
In Dr. Manson's description of the disease the symptoms are much too pronounced; of course such typical cases occur and a tyro could re- cognise them, but, more particularly in the 1896-98 epidemic in Hongkong, many cases occurred in which diagnosis was most difficult, almost impossible, without microscopical ex- amination of the blood or contents of buboes.
It is remarked that whilst the handling of a rat recently dead of plague is dangerous, one which is cold and stiff may be touched with im punity, the explanation being that fleas have abandoned the latter and that it is through their bites the disease is inoculated.
Pneumonic plague is both most fatal and most infectious, we can guard our feet and hands from inoculation, but it is difficult to safe- guard the respiratory organs from taking in in- fection, except by diluting the latter by the free use of fresh air and abundance of ventila- tion.
It has been noticed that certain outbreaks of plague were preceded by a sporadic or epidemic affection in which the lymphatic glands were enlarged. On p. 184 the author says such cases are of great importance in their bearing on the spread and prevention of the graver dis ease, whilst on p. 651, speaking of similar buboes, now called climatic, the author states "there are no adequate reasons for supposing, as has been conjectured, that the disease has any connection with plague or that it is a form of pestis minor.”
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January 12, 1901.
ness, with diphtheretic lesions and great morta- | lity, very similar to that which was prevalent amongst the returned soldiers in Japan in 1898-9 and spread from them to the civil- popu- lation with disastrous results,
Asubject of interest to holiday-makers in Japan is that the so-called river-fever is due to exhala- tions from, and poisoning by, hemp-water, and the author also notes that many globe-trotters suffer from typhoid after visiting Japan," probably due to carelessness in using polluted water. Impure water, the author points out, may be responsible for quite an army of diseases,, typhoid, cholera, dysentery possibly sprue developed from dysentery, diarrhoea, perhaps malaria, ankylostoma, guinea worm, "sleeping sickness," worms, leeches getting into stomach, filaria, bilharzia, &c., &c.
In contradistinction to most accepted authori- ties the author states that true sun-fever or Sirissis has a very limited area of distribution, 'being rigidly confined to certain low-lying sea-coast districts and to the valleys of certain rivers," so that the diagnosis of such cases re- ported in Hongkong must have been erroneous.
The cause moreover is a germ akin to that of yellow fever. Speaking of fevers generally the author notes the confusion in and unreliability of army statistics, owing to the fact that every fever of short duration must appear in the returns as
ague."
This misleading, slovenly, not to say dangerous practice must have had a power- ful influence in retarding the study of pyreto. logy in the tropics, at all events by our principal medical pioneers-the Army Surgeons."
**
Speaking of beri-beri the author states it does not occur in early childhood, but many such cases were found in one of the Orphanages here. He also points out how the crowded forecastle of a ship, with every source of ventilation her. metically scaled, may create an incubator on a large scale, which, should it chance to contain a beri-beri germ, quickly becomes extensively in- fected and lethal," words which equally well apply to many Hongkong lodging-honses. Re- moval from the infected area cures both in beri- beri and malaria, though in the latter the, blood contains a parasite, whilst in beri-beri the author belives it does not, and is supported in this opinion by Hirota (1898.) Speaking of the recent Hamburg cholera epidemic the author shows how in its causation it was an actual counterpart of the London epidemic of 1854- improper tainted water supply. It would be well for us in Hongkong to be extremely careful in using the Pokfulam supply, which at any time might easily be polluted. -
Eighty-five per cent. of liver abscesses, the anthor states, occur in alcoholic subjects and he specially condemns, as tending to produce this disease, the luxuriant habits of young men who on just arriving in the east change. from an active and frugal life to one of "lounging on the verandah or hanging about the club bar or he sits up at night drinking and smok- ing.'
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Leprosy has never been shown to arise in a .” The anthor points out that country de novo." with commonsense precautions such as not allowing lepers to beg in the streets, to keep shops, or handle food or cloths intended for sale, or to hire themselves out as servants, leprosy being feebly contagious, would soon die out. We are too lenient in this respect with the Chinese lepers in Hongkong. The gives a piece of advice - which author is most pertinent to those who would new sanitary indiscriminately introduce
It is manifest arrangements in Hongkong. that in devising sanitary regulations the habits of the people they are intended to benefit must be taken into account; if this be not attended to, if native habits and prejudices are ignored, any system, no matter how perfect it may be in theory, will fail in practice
5
AFTER Malaria the subject of most interest to us locally in Hongkong is Bubonic Plague, which, since the last edition of Dr. Manson's work, has spread to Mauritius, Madagascar, Delagoa Bay, Australia and South America, and since the book was printed, to Lisbon and Glasgow. There can now unfortunately be no doubt as to the inodulability of plague, since the accident to and death of the Vienna student whilst manipulat- Speaking of personal prophytaxis the author ing plague cultures, no epidemic then existing; says: "Hospital work is only dangerous when previous experiments, whether accidental or patients are allowed to lie in their infected cloth intentional (including that of Oayoma, which|ing, when disinfectants are not properly used, occurred here) having taken place under cir- and when attendants are careless, stupid or rash.' cumstances which might have given rise to The writer has personal knowledge of three injection in other ways. I may say that plague deaths amongst Europeans occurring through inoculation by means of a prick or scratch is the last-named cause. The serum treatment of The bacteriology is brought up to date, th
mentioned by Ainsworth in Old St. Pauls. Dr. Mauson states that plague was probably im ported into Bombay from Hongkong, but as he, a few lines previously, notes that plague is al- ways present in some part of India, it is surely more likely that the epidemic was brought over
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In concluding this imperfect review I should like to state that in Dr. Manson's book the busy practitioner will find the latest information contained in small compass. true causes of sleeping sickness, yellow fever, malaria, dysentery, are given, whilst Sanarelli's immünised serum for treatment of Speaking of some anomalous types of dysent-yellow fever, and the clump reaction as applied ery Daniels describes a disease of high fatality to yellow, typhoid and Malta fever is men. amongst Polynesians, occurring also in emi- tioned, and happily one new disease, Kal grant ships, showing a high degree of infective is got rid of, being only a form of malaria
plague is declared, as we found it here, a failure. Haffkine's inoculation meets with qualified approval.
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