52 The Philippine Journal of Science wis 



pleasure of the people is in drinking palek, a native alcoholic 

 beverage made from sugar cane, and in smoking tobacco which 

 is raised for their own consumption. 



Basing my opinion upon a rather scanty knowledge of the 

 natives in various parts of the Philippines, I believe the general 

 physical condition of the inhabitants is above the average. This 

 is attributed to their occupation which keeps them in the open a 

 great deal of the time. The women of Itbayat appear to be 

 particularly strong and vigorous. Statistics show that the death 

 rate is about 26 per thousand per annum and that the infant 

 mortality is about 30 per cent. Illegitimate children are very 

 common when one considers that the communities are very small, 

 ranging from about 200 to 2,000. In some of the towns such 

 births make up 30 per cent of the total birth rate. None of 

 these statistics are considered to be reliable. Adult females are 

 more numerous than adult males, the ratio being about 5 to 2 in 

 Santo Domingo de Basco; this is explained by the greater 

 tendency of males to emigrate. 



A great deal of the morbidity is connected with the respiratory 

 tract. Due to sudden changes of temperature, dampness in the 

 homes during the rainy season, exposure while fishing or working 

 in the fields by moonlight, and insufficient clothing for the cooler 

 portions of the year, one cold after another is contracted from 

 childhood up so that bronchitis, which is not infrequently asso- 

 ciated with spitting of blood but without afternoon tempera- 

 ture, night sweats, or notable loss of weight, is common. This 

 condition, coupled with the fact that homes are habitually closed 

 during the night and that many persons sleep in the same room, 

 creates a favorable soil for tuberculosis. As a matter of fact, 

 "phthisis" is understood by the adult population to be common. 

 A number of cases of this disease were seen. From answers to 

 questions asked, I believe pneumonia claims its victims each year 

 and that pleurisy is not rare. 



Careful search for cases of paragonimiasis failed to disclose a 

 single case. Dr. A. G. Sison of the Philippine General Hospital 

 tells me he knows of a case of this disease occurring in a native 

 of the Batanes. 



Skin diseases are very common, especially chronic ulcer. 

 Several persons were seen who were incapacitated for work 

 because of the extent to which the ulceration had progressed. 

 Probably not less than 50 persons were seen during my short 

 sojourn in the islands who were suffering from this affection. 

 The duration of the disease in these cases varied from a few 



