HONG-KONG.

HONG-KONG.

945 be debated : (a) That, subject to the necessary estimate GLASGOW DIPLOMAS IN PUBLIC HEALTH. being submitted to the Council by the Finance Committe...

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945 be debated : (a) That, subject to the necessary estimate GLASGOW DIPLOMAS IN PUBLIC HEALTH. being submitted to the Council by the Finance Committee as required by the statute, the necessary resolution under AT a special meeting of the University Council held Section 4 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, in the Trades Hall last week there was an exceptionally be passed by the Council, and that the seal of the Council affixed thereto. (b) That the draft scheme submitted by large attendance of members. Principal Caird, Vice- be the committee for the improvement of the area referred to The of the committee on the Chancellor, presided. report in the foregoing resolution be approved, and that it be reproposed scheme for Graduation in Arts was submitted by ferred to the committee to complete the scheme and to take Sheriff Guthrie, and was seconded by the Rev. Mr. King all the necessary steps for depositing and obtaining conAfter a short discussion on this subject firmation thereof. of Kilpatrick. Dr. Glaister then brought forward a motion referring to A debate followed on the various points of the report, and the action of the General Medical Council in connexion in the end the discussion was adjourned until Monday. with the diplomas of public health recently issued by the University, and proposing that a committee be to cancel these appointed to procure an Act HONG-KONG. diplomas. The proposal was seconded by Mr. R. P. Lamond. Dr. E. Duncan proposed an amendment, to the THE annual report on the medical department of the effect that "as the Glasgow University Court has made satisfactory arrangements and appointed a competent boardcolony of Hong-Kong for the year 1889 shows the health of of examiners for the further examination in this subject to both European and native population to have been satisbe held next month, this Council does not deem it neces; factory. There was an entire exemption from cholera, and sary to take any action in the matter at the present time." the death-rate from fevers and bowel complaints was very This was seconded by Dr. Wallace of Greenock. Professor of In a force 1432 white troops the admissions were Leishman, in explaining what the action of the Universityr low. Court really had been, asked whether it was conducive to)1072, the deaths 6-28, and the mean sick 53-38 per 1000. the honour of the University to have this old scandal again1The black troops numbered only 178, and furnished 1107 threshed out. He said, with all deliberation, that if those: admissions, 39-22 deaths, and 34-44 constantly sick per gentlemen who signed the memorial were to carry outu 1000. The death-rate of this class is high, but we have their wishes, the result would be that, instead of theirrno information as to the causes, and the number under appearing to the world as those who were desirous of the3 observation is small. The police force consisted of 124 honour of the University, they were doing all in their Europeans, 227 Indians, and 407 Chinese. The admispower to bring it. into disrepute. Dr. MeVail attempted1 sions into hospital were 1339, 1013, and 477 per 1000 of to address the meeting in favour of the resolution, but was s strength of these classes respectively. The death-rate of met with such constant interruption that he resumed hiss the Europeans was 4032, all the deaths-5 in numberseat amid a scene of general commotion. Eventually, orderr being "from remittent fever of a peculiarly malignant having been restored, there voted for Dr. Duncan’s amend- type "; of the Indians it was 17’62 and of the Chinese ment 139, and for Dr. Glaister’s motion 33. The amend- 12-28 per 1000. The number of prisoners sent to gaol ment was then put as a substantive motion and carried by the year was 3705, and the daily average in contineduring a large majority. ment was 581. There were 244 cases treated in hospital, with 4 deaths, and there were 217 trifling cases treated without being taken into hospital. These numbers give a THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL AND total of 793 cases and 6-88 deaths per 1000 of average INSANITARY AREAS. strength. Tung Wa Hospital, as usual, shows a very high AT the usual weekly meeting of the County Council, 1 death-rate, there having been 2050 cases admitted and rt 1011 deaths, or very nearly half the cases ; but 306 London, Earl Compton moved the adoption of the report were in a moribund condition on admission. There of the Housing of the Working Classes Committee dealing g were 161 dead bodies brought to the mortuary during with the insanitary area of Bethnal-green. He stated that t the year ; of these, 48 were reported to have died from from representations made by the medical officer declaring 19 disease, 37 by drowning, 44 from other accidental causes, this area, some fifteen acres in extent, to be injurious and d including 10 from lightning stroke, 19 were returned as ,d suicidal, and 8 as homicidal. Venereal diseases are on the dangerous, and unfit for habitation, the committee had 11 increase, the cases admitted being more numerous in all the been induced to bring forward the proposals. The local le hospitals than in any of the three preceding years, except authorities had stated in distinct language that the whole lt the Police in 1887. Mr. Atkinson, the medical officer in area was unfit for habitation, as it was too large to be dealt with piecemeal. The medical officer had given a strong tg charge of the civil hospital, reports very favourably of the .n results obtained in intermittent fever with an initial high ’opinion on the matter that the area could not be treated in ,d temperature by the administration of antipyrin in tenany other way adequately except as a whole. He had pointed out the fearful death-rate in the area. Owing ig grain doses, repeated every hour until the temperature falls This result is generally to the insanitary state of the whole district two people le to within a degree of normal. n. ’died there for one in other parts of Bethnal-green. obtained after four or five doses..... As soon as the is temperature has fallen quinine is administered in fiveAfter satisfying themselves of the correctness of this view the committee had discussed the question as 1S grain doses every hour, the result being that the temto how the area should be dealt with. It could ld perature does not rise so high by two or three degrees ih as in the initial paroxysm of fever." either be dealt with under Part I. of the new Act, which The analytical work has been, as before, carried on by Mr. Crow, was Cross’s Act slightly modified and slightly improved, or it could be dealt with under Part II. of the Act, which was LS the apothecary and analyst, who has drawn up some It careful remarks and suggestions on the purification of Torrens’ Act very greatly improved; or it might be dealt with partly under one and partly under the other. In the ie drinking-water by alum, with special reference to the opinion of their officers the area should be dealt with asaa Pokfulam water supplied to the city, in which, after the whole under Cross’s Act, as otherwise they should not be oe rains, there is a considerable quantity of suspended matter. able really to eradicate what was a plague spot-a sort of It is stated that " the works for filtering this water are now at in progress, and that there is every ground for assuming death-trap in their midst. Their officers’ opinion was that if they dealt piecemeal with any part of it they might ht that on their completion no complaint under this head will er be made in future." The amount of analytical work perhaps improve, but they would not remove altogether that which they all must desire to remove. They did not ot reported has been small, but this has probably arisen from mean to deal with it in the space of twelve months, because se Mr. Crow being employed on other sanitary duties. No that would be impossible. They did not mean to deal with th analyses of milk were made during the year, and only one it in the shortest possible time, sweeping down all the he investigation in connexion with a case of poisoning. houses immediately, because that would cause an enormous us Changes are under consideration which may enable Mr. amount of harm to those living there. They would Ca- Crow to devote more time to these important duties, and dually remove the whole area and put it into a better it is to be hoped that when the new laboratory is finished -state. The estimated cost was 300,000. He proposed that .at he may be furnished with an adequate staff to permit him the following recommendations of the committee to carry on the work in an efficient manner.

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