26
be necessary to evacuate a ship infected with yellow fever, and to destroy the
mosquitoes on board.
Shanghai.—On February 5th during, a stay of a few hours at this port L
took the opportunity to consult Dr. Stanley, the Medical Adviser and Bacteriolo-
gist to the Municipality. He informed me that the possible introduction of
yellow fever after the opening of the Panama Canal had been considered by the
authorities and I understood, that special regulations to guard against it were
contemplated. The species of mosquitoes present in the city during the summer
were said to be stegomyia fasciata, anopheles simensia,, culex fatigans and
armigeres ventralis, but among some, mounted examples that were shown to me
I found one specimen of stegomyia scutellaris but none of fasciata, and this
raised a doubt in Dr. Stanley's mind as to whether stegomyia fasciata really
occurs or not. At the time of my visit the weather was too cold for the problem
to be settled by personal observation, but I note that the annual report which has
appeared since my departure contains a list of mosquitoes which while including
scutellaris does not mention fasciata. A special anti-mosquito staff is employed
from the beginning of April to the middle of October each year. Except
during the summer months the climate is not favourable to mosquitoes and it is
possible that a winter and spring campaign having for its object the destruction
of the insects in their hibernating stages might be useful.
Hong Kong lies slightly above the 22nd degree of north latitude and during
more than six months of the year its climate is favourable to the existence of
yellow fever. Nearly 5,000 ocean-going vessels enter its port annually and it is
the centre of an immense trade in sugar, opium, flour, rice, oil, cotton, tea, silks,
salt and other produce. The colony includes (a) the city of Victoria which has;
a frontage to the sea of nearly five miles on the northern shore of the island of,
Hong Kong. It contains about 10,000 houses of which all except about 950 are
occupied by Chinese—of whom there are 180,000 in the city. Most of the
houses are of three or four stories and in many of them the sub-division of the:
upper floors into cubicles greatly increases the difficulties connected with their
sanitation, (b) The harbour between the city and the mainland, it varies in
width from about a quarter of a mile in the Lyemun pass on the east to more
than three miles on the west. It is the home of about 48,000 Chinese who live
on the 12,000 and odd boats belonging to the port and villages of the colony.
The boats include 4,300 engaged in passenger and cargo traffic, 4,180 in fishing
and 1,690 trading junks, (c) The territory on the mainland known as Kowloon,
in which there are about 80,000 Chinese.
The sanitary staff of the city of Victoria includes a Medical Officer of Health
and ten sanitary inspectors and for Kowloon an Assistant Medical Officer of
Health and three inspectors. In addition there are four inspectors in charge
of the scavenging work, one inspector of cemeteries and one in charge of the
city disinfection station, in the different sanitary districts which are in charge of
an inspector the number of Chinese dwellings is usually between 900 and 1,000,
the Chinese population in them varying between 16,000 and 25,000.
I spent three; weeks in the colony during January 1912 and. had opportunities"
of studying the local conditions and of discussing the yellow fever problem in
its connexion with India and the Far East, not only with the official authorities
of Hong Kong but with members of the United States Public Health and.
Marine Hospital Service from Manila, who, like myself, were delegates: to the.
congress of the Far Eastern Medical Association which was held from the
22nd to the 27th of January. Up to the time of my visit the authorities of the
colony had not taken under consideration the question that special measures for
preventing the entry of yellow fever into the port and for, putting the city into
a condition of preparedness to cope with an epidemic of the disease might be
necessary. His Excellency the Governor and other officials were, however,
much interested in the subject and it is probable that the attention drawn to it by
the action of the. Government of India may lead to the initiation of such measures.
In my opinion the present quarantine regulations are not in all respects in line
with modern requirements and as regards their execution it appeared to me that
the arrangements, for the inspection and control of ships could suitably be
improved so as to enable the authorities to deal more efficiently with the