vin, B, 1 Willets: Public Health in the Batanes Islands 51 



goat inside of the house. There are only twenty-one horses 

 in the province ; one on Itbayat and twenty on Batan. Dogs are 

 very numerous. At Sabtang the cattle are kept in corrals at 

 night, because the houses are situated too closely together to per- 

 mit of their being kept in the dooryard. 



A suitable method for the disposal of human excrement is 

 lacking. An effort is now being made to provide water-closets, 

 but as yet they are insufficient for the number of families and 

 furthermore the people have not learned to use them; this 

 applies particularly to Santo Domingo de Basco and Mahatao, 

 Batan Island, On Sabtang and Itbayat Islands, water-closets 

 are very rare. 



Each of the islands of the group is poorly supplied with fresh 

 water. Of the six towns only one, namely Mahatao, can boast 

 of a stream, Raile, a barrio of Itbayat, also has a small stream. 

 The other streams of the islands are too far removed from the 

 towns to provide drinking water; these are, however, of im- 

 portance in furnishing water for cattle. Several springs are to 

 be found on the various islands, but these also are too remote 

 from the towns to furnish drinking water excepting one near 

 the town of Sabtang, Usually rain water is used for drinking 

 purposes. This is collected in earthen jars from the roofs of 

 houses and from trees by means of pieces of split bamboo. The 

 water for miscellaneous purposes is obtained from a limited 

 number of wells and cisterns. 



The water jars and cisterns are good places for mosquitoes 

 to breed. On Itbayat there are marshy places which also doubt- 

 less serve this purpose. Flies were not very numerous. 



Santo Domingo de Basco, Mahatao, and Ibana on Batan Island, 

 and Sabtang on Sabtang Island are each provided with two 

 street cleaners. 



From the facts that fresh water is scanty, that the one room 

 serves usually as kitchen, living-room, and bedroom, that domestic 

 animals are kept near the house, and that the natives, excepting 

 the inhabitants of Sabtang, do not care to bathe in sea water, it 

 is clear that these people are not especially noteworthy for their 

 cleanliness. 



The diet consists of camotes and fish caught in the Batanes 

 waters and dried ; fresh fish is seldom eaten. In addition, a few 

 miscellaneous vegetables are used and meat of one kind or 

 another — beef, pork, goat-meat, or chicken — is eaten on an 

 average of about twice a week. Some eggs are also used. On 

 Itbayat, a rather limited supply of oranges, bananas, pineapples, 

 and coconuts are available in season. Practically the only 



