prominent places, and an inscription in Chinese characters requests the public to deposit any dead rats therein. These bins. are emptied twice daily: the rats, which are labelled with the number of the bin in which they have been found, are sent to the Mortuary for examination by the Government Bacteriologist. All rats are examined macroscopically for signs of plague infection, and blood-smears and smears from the splenic pulp of ten per cent. of the rats, are examined microscopically for the bacillus pestis at the Bacteriological Institute. The mus rattus and the mus decumanus are both common in the Colony: they occur roughly in the proportion of two of the former to three of the latter; both are liable to infection. Seven to eight hundred of these rat-bins are in use throughout Victoria and Kowloon. Two or three thousand rats, probably only a small proportion of the rat population, are collected weekly in this manner, and examined for evidence of plague. An infected animal cannot always be traced to the actual house wherein it died, but a valuable indication is obtained as to the district in which plague may be expected to occur. Houses in the close vicinity are subjected to individual inspection, the cleansing gangs may be diverted to the suspected district, and other suitable preventive measures speedily put into force. Certain of the local anti-plague measures, with slight modifications, have been employed in the Philippine Islands for some years with marked success. Two models are exhibited, one a typical Chinese tenement house, illustrating measures applied to prevent infestation by rats: the other a suggested improved type of Chinese tenement house, especially designed to assist in solving the problem of the hygienic housing of the poorer-class Chinese. Though there is still a great deal to be done before Hongkong may be regarded as a health resort,-nevertheless, the results of the efforts, during the past thirty years, of the Medical and Sanitary Departments, in the case of this one disease, are very striking. Other natural causes, well-known in epidemiology, have doubtless contributed to this end,-yet Canton, South China and the Straits Settlements had many cases of plague last year. It is noteworthy that amongst our closelyherded population, approaching a million, the incidence of plague has been gradually reduced, until at the present day we can claim that there has been no notification of either rat or human plague in the Colony of Hongkong from September 1923, until the present date. References. (In order of publication). Published 1. The Epidemic of Bubonic Plague in 1894. Medical Report by Dr. J. A. Lowson 1895 2. Report by the M.O.H. of the Colony of Hongkong for the year 1895 1896 3. Prevalence of Bubonic Plague in the Colony of Hongkong during the years 1895 and 1896 Report by Dr. J. M. Atkinson 1897 4. A Report on the Epidemic of Bubonic Plague at Hongkong in the year 1896. By Staff-Surgeon Wilm, of the Imperial. German Navy ... 1897 5. A Report on the Epidemic of Bubonic Plague in the year 1898 1898 6. Return of Cases of Bubonic Plague occurring in the City of Victoria during the year 1899 1899 ..... 7. A Report on the Epidemic of Bubonic Plague in Hongkong in the year 1900 1900 8. Report of the M.O.H. on the Epidemic of Bubonic Fever (Plague) during the half-year ending 30th June 1901 1901 9. Report of the Government Bacteriologist for the year 1902 1903 10. Bubonic Plague in Hongkong. Memorandum by His Excellency the Governor 1903 11. Report on the Causes and Continuance of Plague in 1903 13. Report of the Acting M.O.H. on the Epidemic of Plague during the first seven months of the year 1903 14. Report of the Government Bacteriologist for the year 1903 1904 15. Report of the M.O.H. Hongkong for the year 1903 .. 1904 16. A Research into Epidemic and Epizootic Plague. By Dr. W. Hunter, Government Bacteriologist 17. Report on Insanitary Property Resumption in the years 1894-1905 1905 18. Thesis for M.D. degree, University of Aberdeen, 1905 1906 ...... 1906 20. Report on the Health and Sanitary Condition of the Colony of Hongkong for the year 1907 1908 21. Correspondence Relating to Plague Epidemics in Hongkong 1915 Editorial. Medical Ethics. In Europe and America, where the practice of Medicine has existed for many centuries, certain customs and practices are established which by general acceptance, have become a sort of unwritten laws. Here in China, the whole country is in the throes of a change. Customs and thoughts alike with the background of history and national and individual experiences are for weal or for woe undergoing a metamorphosis, synchronous with the changing times. The practice of scientific medicine itself is comparatively recent; public opinion concerning the profession, which should be one of its guides is either non-existent or conflicting. The need for the establishment of a system of Medical Ethics is therefore apparent and no time is more auspicious than now, if we would win for the profession the esteem and trust accorded to it in other countries. A code of honour, a system of ethics, which shall ensure uniformity of outlook, and consistency in practice is what we should aim at. To delay in this work is to render the task infinitely more difficult subsequently. It may well be asked, why the medical profession of all professions, should be so scrupulous about its ethics and why particularly so in China? In all countries, among all peoples, primitive or otherwise, the doctor occupies a position of trust and honour. The practice of his profession, brings him into intimate contact with various people of either sex, at any age, and in any stratum of society. No secret so delicate, no family history so intimate will they not pour into his ears, as they come for treatment or advice. Because of his power to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, enable the halt and the maimed to walk and the deaf to hear, "his earthly power doth then show likest god's" (as Shakespeare would say) and the common people thus sometimes attribute to him the gifts divine. Among certain races doctors are even regarded as a people set apart forming a priesthood, and the medicine man or witch doctor of primitive peoples also occupies a similar position for similar reasons. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, himself came from a family of priest-doctors, and was regarded by the ignorant a son of a god. Almost from time immemorial therefore, the profession has held an honoured position among all races and this in itself is a valid reason why it must live up to its reputation. Among Eastern peoples in general, and China in particular, the relationship between the sexes is very austere. Mencius, the great Chinese moralist, has laid down the doctrine that between the sexes a rigid code of morality should exist to the extent that in the handling of an article the hand of the one should on no account touch that of the other. Such teaching as this has been deeply impressed into the Chinese mind, until precept upon preccpt, line upon line, this view has engrained itself into the Chinese character. With the introduction of scientific medicine in the practice of which a patient is a patient regardless of age or sex, it has come about that from a scarcity of female doctors, male doctors are entrusted with the treatment of members of the opposite sex. To be given such confidence, by a people with such ascetic views regarding the relationship of the sexes, is to be entrusted with a great responsibility. If we show them, that like Caesar's wife, we of the profession are above suspicion, they will trust and honour us always. But let there be some who have abused this confidence or given occasion for reproach, and "soft buzzing slander" will drag the dignity of the profession in the dust. Considering therefore, the traditions of the profession we have to maintain, the honour and trust accorded it by the state and the public, and the possibilities of misunderstanding by words or deeds among a people who have not as yet taken wholeheartedly to scientific medicine, it is certainly not too much to be scrupulous about our ethics. Inasmuch as ethics vary to a certain extent in different countries and at different times, and are in a large measure a reflection of the prevailing state of morality, and influenced by the history and experiences of the race, and the stage of its civilisation, it is obvious that it would be unsatisfactory for us here in China merely to copy the ethics of other nations and adopt them. When we remember that on certain points the ethical opinion of England and France differs, despite their geographical propinquity, their long historical associations, their reciprocal influences on each other's literature and customs, we need not be surprised if on certain subjects there be a divergence of views between our people and the European or American peoples. Such methods of slavishly copying ideas and not adapting or evolving them to suit our people's mentality and outlook on life are bound to end in failure. Because they are not indigenous they are puny and frail and unlikely to thrive. Such is the explanation of the failure of many foreign imported ideas, ideals and schemes. Medical ethics then, like any other ethics, can claim no solid basis for their establishment. We can indicate certain broad |