7th March.
Watch matters, apart from the reports already noticed, take up 120 pages; first come some tables of much interest to students of criminology. There is a short report on the Gaol, from which we learn that though it is so crowded that each cell has to accommodate four prisoners, there were only two hospital admissions during the year, both being cases of mumps. Beri-beri, formerly so prevalent, has been extinguished by the provision of a diet of crushed wheat and red beans. The industrial side of the establishment showed a profit of about 500, In the and Rabies," in which it is noted that pug lis devoted to "Dog Muzzling there has been a much greater immunity from rabies in Shanghai of late than there used to be, and in which the council gratefully recognises the unvarying support afforded to its efforts in this direction by the Consular Body, there is an amusing illustration of the internationality of Shanghai. The dog of the Netherlands Consul-General was seized -by the police for wandering unmuzzled. The Consul-General declined to the usual fee to recover his dog, and the matter was referred to the Consular Body, which decided that the Consul-General must be tried in his own Court. Accordingly the Swedish Consul-General sat as judge in the Netherlands Court, and condemned the Netherlands Consul-General to a fine of five guilders.
In the still days of late autumn signs have not been wanting that we should before long begin to suffer from real London fogs, and it will be seen with pleasure that experiments are to be made at the Council's Electric Light works towards the mitigation of the smoke nuisance, "so that if remedial measures can there be effectively introduced, they may hereafter be universally applied." Then comes a mass of correspondence which has already appeared in the weekly minutes, and is here conveniently collected. The subjects are the suggested Salt Monopoly, Local Lotteries, Illegal Arrests, the appointment of an assistant Mixed Court Maistrate, Likin Collection in the Settlement, Chinese Newspapers, Mixed Court Procedure, Municipal Gaol—from which we learn that the new Gaol will be completed and its 480 cells ready for occupation on the Ast of May next,—Respon: 7 Jinricsha-Owners,—which is duly sti, Police Buildings. It is a very inulated for in their licenses,—a
teresting record of some of the mul-titanous business that occupies the constant attention of our Councillors. with the following snare "The The Health Officer's Report begins
year has been marked by continued expansion of the work of the Department, of which work itn truly be said: So little done so much to do. The greatest obstacle to sanitary progress ud mutual of peoples of, different nationalities. In no other matter is the ignorance of the major more prejudicial to the general v than in sanitation." The ignorance of modern methods among the Chin must be met. Dr. Stanley says, I education and soft-handed compul-ion: but he docs justice to the ancient practical sanitation up with agriculture, to whic Chinese owe their undoubted health ness and great population. Dr. Stanley touches on the necessity for: inter dieting expectoration "there probably 4 consumptives in Sh jority of whom individually es rate daily millions of deadly. tuber bail He touches on the sri nuisance, and on the work done in the municipal laboratory. He shows how the problem of making san pay its way directly, and 1 I in its indirect results, is being practic ally solved in He w ly on the improvement the staff of sault The inspector of ut 3, wh i a mere smeller, an inspector of stinks. But now he should be inted with the modes of di aman gentle in manner and firm in action" ("soft-handed compulsion "He is capable of becoming a m power in the community and the best of missionaries to the Chine: Stanley refers to the 1902 epidemic of scarlet fever, which carried off some 3,000 Chinese, and dwells on the necessity for more legislation for the prevention of infection. "Most discases except those due to the wearing out of the tissue: are infectious.... The great question how foreign residents are to avoid infection from their Chinese servants is one that will take man years to solve. Something, howe may now be done, Houscholde can insist on all their Chinese servants being vaccinated: free vaccination of all Chinese is now provided by the Health Department." Dr. Stanley recommends the adoption of the proposed Infectious bye-l He giv rate rate for England and V was 16.9, More tables follow, and interesting notes on chol the ths. the evil in favour of the introduction of infection from outside Shanghai,'—typhoid fever—'which is practical, ways taken into the body by infected food, and the fouds must commonly infected are vegetables," diphtheria—which is increasing the number of dea it during the last four wing been 0, 2 respectively,—scarlet fever—practically a new disease in. Shanghi probably introduc 1 by foreign immigrants,—sot which seven resident: for discovering and i ing the first and a is. most imat that riy ship should be allowed ug rats into the port, a preeanhis carried out at Constan-gainst mosquitoes,—n-beri, dysentery, pneumonia, ttle-plague fter such besetting us, it is death-rate is so little of England and Wales: but when thus congrumlate ourselves, we must remember that there i proportion of ele Correspondence on health matters, already published. follows, with ports on the Public Band, Department. the esti: ture on which this
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.