300 THE PRESENT EVOLUTION OF MAN — PHYSICAL 



fifty cases in private practice without losing one, but 

 from want of shelter and proper food/ 



" I will not say that these considerations enable us to 

 understand completely why some epidemics of measles 

 are of a severe type ; there may be other factors acting 

 on the physiological disposition of the people in a given 

 locality, or there may be a concentration of the morbid 

 poison, determining the unfavourable type of the 

 epidemic. But the favourite phrase, constitutio epidcmica, 

 does not help us at all in the elucidation of the 

 question." — Hirsch, vol. i. pp. 1G7-9. 



" Until a few mouths ago measles had not entered 

 this group (Samoa). It was conveyed to Tonga, 500 

 miles south of us, by the New Zealand steamer Lri^olo 

 in June last, and from all accounts we have received 

 it nearly decimated that group. The same steamer 

 brought the contagion to our group nearly three months 

 afterwards. Here, as in Tonga, the epidemic was at 

 first mild. Comparatively few died at Samoa during 

 the period of the fever and rash. The sequela3 and 

 complications have caused the mortality. I have not 

 been able to obtain accurate statistics of the deaths 

 from this recent epidemic throughout Samoa, as the 

 ten inhabited islands of this tropical and volcanic group 

 lie between five parallels of longitude, or, Avith the 

 intervening straits, cover nearly 270 miles; but judging 

 from the accurate returns obtained here, including a 

 fifth of Samoa, and also from reports obtained from 

 missionaries and others, no fewer than 1000 of the 

 entire population of 81,500 died from measles up to the 

 end of December 1893, and nearly half of these adults. 

 Since then there have j)robably been a few hundreds 

 more. 



" The epidemic was not malignant. Our mortality 

 has arisen principally from gastritis,' enteritis, diarrhoea, 

 and dysentery. A few died from suppressed measles. 

 The craving the natives manifest for raw fish, unripe 

 or over-ripe fruit, and especially half-cooked fresh pork, 

 became morbid during the period of convalescence. 



