38
In Hongkong it is generally recognised | that the greatest hope of success in the fight against the plague scourge lies in the enlistment of the co-operation of the Chinese people themselves. They have it practically in their own hands to rid the Colony for ever of this annually recurring affliction. The Health Officer of Rangoon recognises that this co-operation is essential also in the small Chinatown in the city over which he has sanitary supervision; and we draw attention to this experience in Rangoon in the hope that it may be profitably employed as an object lesson by all concerned in Hongkong in teaching the Chinese people the elementary principles of hygiene. It used to be an article of faith in the West that in the Esst, where the warmth of the climate makes cleanliness more immediately necessary than in colder climates, cleanliness was indeed closely allied to godliness, the idea being derived from the fact that the Jewish law, and Mohammedan, which in some things copies it, is filled with bathings, purifications and other rites of a like nature. But whatever force this may have in the case of peoples who rule their lives by the Jewish or Mohammedan law, it has none whatever among the Chinese in South China where cleanliness seems to be regarded as a sio rather than a duty.
There is one other point about the plague experience of Rangoon on which we may venture a few words. It is the fact that "there is a tendency every year for plague to increase about the end of May or in June." This corresponds with the experi- ence in Hongkong, but in this Colony after June the epidemic rapidly subsides. That apparently is not the case in Rangoon. In 1906 the heaviest plague months were June, July and August. What the ex- planation of the diminished returns in Hongkong may be after the month of Jane has passed we are unable to say, but a theory suggested to us by a leading Chinese resident may be worth considering by the responsible authorities. When plague first broke out in Hongkong a suggestion was made that the source of infection was not improbably the unflashed drains. That was before the discovery was made that the rat flea was the infecting agent, and we believe some estimate was at the time given by the Public Works Department of the cost of flushing these drains an estimate running to about three lace of dollars. The drains still remain anflushed during the dry season, and the suggestion now made to us covers the question as to what extent these drains form breeding places for rats and for the germination of the plague bacilli. We are informed that during the heavy rains in June, when these drains are thoroughly flushed, large numbers of rats are washed down to the sea and drowned. To what extent this may account for the diminution of plague after the month of June is a question we must leave to the consideration of the Sanitary authorities. It certainly is a curious coincidence. In the months of October, November, December and January the rainfall is very meagre. In the last two months of the year it does not usually average an inch a month, and the malodorous condition of the drains in the Colony does not require to be dwelt upon. In January sporadic cases of plague are reported and as the months pass the list of cases grows, the epidemic reaching its height in May or June. Then come, the heavy rains, and, later, the total dis- appearance of plague.
❤
If, however, we take last year's Blague total and rainfall statistics and compare the figures with the returns for the present year we cannot say that we find very strong
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND support for the theory. Last year Hong. kong had a comparatively light list of plague cases-not more than 250 for the whole year. This year we have already more than a thousand. Now the rainfall statistics show that there was less rain in the dry season 1906-7 than in the dry season 1907-8, and if the theory of the drain origin of plague were sound there should have been more plague cases last year than this when there was more flushing of the drains. As a matter of fact, down to May 1st last year only 13 cases were reported; this year 117 had been reported by that date. But now we have to con. sider the raiofall for the month of May. In May 1907 the recorded rainfall was 11 280 inches, this year it was only 1-825 inches, and in this one month the plague total went up from 117 to 539. In May last year the increase was from 13 to 55. But when we add that the increase was even greater in the wet month of June both this year and last, any argument in favour of the theory we have ventilated is heavily discounted Nor do we find much support for the suggestion in the Report of the Medical Officer of Health on the recrud- escence of plague in 1906, namely that it was to be accounted for by the fact that the hours of sunshine for the first three months of the year were consider ably below the average. This year the total for the first three months ia almost exactly the same as for the first quarter of fast year - but the plague statistics are vastly different! The theory is generally entertained that the epidemic increases in May and June because the rains compel the people to keep within their houses more than at other times, but the absence of rain this year in May con- currently with a large increase in the num- ber of plague cases proves this theory to be of no more value than the others. August and September are the wettest months of the year, yet plague after June steadily dim- inishes in Hongkong towards complete extinction. The only certain thing that can be said about the plague is that it has its origin in insanitary conditions and, without having successfully connected the appear ance of plague directly with unflashed drains or a shortage of sunshine, we come back again to the point which requires to be constantly emphasised that it rests largely with the Chinese themselves to exterminate the sourge by co-operating with the sanitary authorities in maintaining domestic clean liness. That seems the only hope of salvation.
at
inst.
SUICIDE OF DR. CROSS.
Dr. Cross, for many years medical missionary in China, committed suicide Ipoh, Straits Settlemen', on the 5th carbolic acid. A painful feature of the affair by swallowing a large quantity of is that he committed the deed in the presence of his wife, having suddenly jumped up from a sleepless bed, and though Mrs. Cross made a determinnd effort to wrest the bottle from his grasp she was too late, and her husband was
dead in ten minutes.
the deceased was very popular. Much sympathy The sad affair cast a gloom over Ipoh, where is felt for Mrs. Cross and her children, two of whom are at school in England.
Dr. Cross, who had been in practice in Singapore for about a year before going to Ipoh in March. 1907, was a popular medical the East as a medical missionary and laboured man. A Scotamsɑ by birth, Dr. Gross came to
knowledge of several Chinese dialects and in a for many years in China. He had a perfect remarkable collection of Eastern oarios he possessed many decorated emblems in Chinese of the esteem in which he was held.
[July 20, 1908.
THE FLOOD FUND BAZAAR.
OPENED BY HE. THE GOVERNOR.
The Bazaar organised by the local Chinese to raise funds for the sufferers by the recent foods on the West and North Rivers was opened
on
July 11th under happy suspieces by venture of the Chinese to raise money by this His Excellency the Governor and the first approved or disapproved method was success- fully launched. Certainly it had all the | elements of success. It had a community in sympathy with the objects, a community to one race, and it had an not limited energetic committee every member of which put the greatest enthusiasm into the work. It might have been thought that the lack of ex perience in such undertakings would have militated against the best results being obtained, but as a matter of fact the novelty of the enterprise and the curiosity which it aroused
was more than suficient to counterbalance the disadvantages acoruing from inexperience. The Chinese ladies embraced the opportunity to emulate their western sisters by officiating at the Bazaar and they came forward in large numbers indeed, and as the committee was com- posed of something like 300 Chinese gentlemen it will be readily seen how largely interested the Chinese comma ity were in the innovation. Moreover their efforts were generously support- ed by liberal donations from European and and Chinese firms and the display made in the huge matshed was extremely 'oreditable for an initial effort in a rather difficult undertaking,
towers, were
The Bazaar, composed of some seventy 'stalls, was accommodated in a huge 'matshed, 400 feet in length by 80 feet wide, situated near Shektontsui Market. A tower marked the principal entrance and other erected at intervals round the structure. Con- sidering the haste with which the work was carried out the result was very good indeed. The interior looked very attractive.
There
were
not many articles that were typically Chinese, the pictures, the floral work, and basket work being the only things that be- longed to the Flowery Land. The remainder of the stalls was devoted to fancy good, the handiwork of Chinese school girls, to silver ware. to provisions, and to refreshments. Nevertheless there were articles which most people would be tempted to buy and it is hoped that the fair stallholders will have the satis- faction of disposing of most of the wares under their charge.
large gathering which included a number of The opening ceremony was attended by s Europeans. His Excellency the Governor, ac. companied by Captain Mito hell Taylor, A.D.C and Mr. Brackenbury, private secretary, was met at the entrance by the members of the Com. mittee, at the bead of which were Mr. Fagg Wa Chan (Chairman), Mr. Ho Kom Toug (vice-chairman), the Hoo, Wei Yak, Mr. Lau Chu pak, Messrs Wong Kom Fak, l'am Tes Kong, Ma Ying Pa, Leung Tai Chee, Lak King Nam, Chân Kang Yu Tam Hok Pa Ng Hoa Chi, Chan Hai, Lai Kwa Pa, Yun Yan Tsup, and others. Among the Europeans were H. E. General Broadwood, Rear Admiral Stokes, His Lordship B shop Pozzon, socom- panied by Father Spada, the Hon. Mr. Chatham, Dr. Atkinson, Hon. Mr. Rees Davies, Hon. Mr. Irving, Dr. Willer, (American Consul General), Mrs. Atkinson, Mrs. General), Dr. Voretazoh (Gərman Consul Madame Volpicelli, Madame Marty, etc.
In calling apon His Excellency to open the bazaar,
Chatham,
Mr. Fuse WA CHUN said: Your Er. cellency, Ladies and Gentlemen. I have the honour as well as the great pleasure to ask you public spirit has organized. I do so however, to open the first charity bastar that the Chinese with some considerable trepidation, as this is absolutely the first bas ar that we Chinese here in Hongkong have ever attempted. Naturally we are diffident and biokward in many things, and we almost despaired of success. But, with ment, we hope our we.s efforts may realize Your Excellency's kind presanco sud snööurage-
poor sufferers in the recent floods (Hoar substantial sum of money for the relief of the hear). I do not wish to mar the present jovial occasion by recounting their intense saferings in order to plead their cause. I leave all thất to
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