Report on the causes and continuance of plague in Hongkong and suggestions as to remedial measures / by W.J. Simpson, M.D., F.R.C.P.
- William Simpson
- Date:
- 1903
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Report on the causes and continuance of plague in Hongkong and suggestions as to remedial measures / by W.J. Simpson, M.D., F.R.C.P. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.
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![IReport ON THE > CAUSES AND CONTINUANCE OF PLAGUE IN HONGKONG. To THE Eight Honoueable JOSEPH CHAMBEELAIN, M.P., Secretary of State for the Colonies. Sir, 1. In accordance with the instructions given me to visit the Colony of Hongkong to investigate and report upon the causes and continuance of Bubonic Plague therein, and to advise remedial measures, I have the honour to report that I arrived in Hongkong on January 5th, 1902, and left on July 10th. During my stay in the Colony every facility was afforded me by the Government of Hongkong to prosecute my inquiries, and any remedial measures I suggested were promptly carried out. Before I left a gradual organization of methods was effected on the lines which I consider necessary to be followed in order to combat plague. I am happy to be able to record that with the exception of 1895 and 1897, which were non-epidemic years and the statistics of which are not comparable with those of other years, the outbreak of 1902 was remarkable as the lightest since 1894, while the usual concomitants, such as panic and flight of the Chinese, with scarcity of workmen, disturbance of trade, and serious business losses, have been conspicuously absent. 2. As the scope of my commission was somewhat wide in its terms, and the time at my disposal limited, it was necessary to confine my investigations to the more obvious practical points, and for this purpose three lines of research were undertaken, to ascertain, flrsthi, the extent of the prevalence of plague in Southern China, a country with which Hongkong has large com- mercial relations ; secondly, the behaviour of plague in Hongkong, the conditions [101807] 1](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21297496_0011.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
