124 GEOGRAPHIC MISCELLANEA 



disease, tlie commission states, has been so common in Luzon that the natives 

 have to a h\rge extent lost fear of it. All evidence points to the greatest care- 

 lessness in preventing its sjiread during Spanish times. Isolation of the sick and 

 disinfection of the habitations seem not to have been attempted, and vaccina- 

 tion, even among the Spanish garrison, had not been carried out. Under these 

 circumstances it could be no surprise that after the American occupation the 

 disease should appear and even become epidemic ; but the prompt action of Dr 

 Bournes, chief health officer of Manila, who caused the Spanish garrison still 

 in Manila and the natives and Chinese within the cit}' to be vaccinated on the 

 appearance of the disease early last year (1899), has afforded most satisfactory 

 results. Other diseases especially affecting the natives are: leprosy, of which 

 there were a hundred cases in the San Lazaro Hospital, all coming from Manila 

 and the country surrounding that city ; tuberculosis, of the extent of which ac- 

 curate statistics are impossible to obtain, but the facts would indicate that it is 

 a very common disease; beriberi, well known among the natives and appar- 

 ently epidemic and endemic in its nature. Skin diseases, as might be expected, 

 are also prevalent. 



Of the diseases affecting Americans, dysentery is responsible for the greatest 

 amount of invalidation and the highest mortalit}'-. Typhoid fever, while less 

 prevalent than dysentery, is, howev'er, a frequent affection among Americans. 

 Malarial fevei'S would seem not to be very common. Other diseases which 

 while not prevalent affect foreigners to a considerable extent are tuberculosis, 

 dengue, and tropical ulcers. 



While outfitting at Hongkong, an 1 later on their return to Hongkong en route 

 to America, the commission improved the opportunity to study the bubonic 

 plague, which was still prevailing at that port. Two members of the party, Dr 

 Barker and Mr FHnt, also passe<l three weeks in India, where the great epi- 

 demic of plague was then raging. This is a brief summary of the results 

 achieved by the expedition. Naturally the commissioners have not yet been able 

 to complete the scientific portion of the work. The\'^ are now making careful 

 studies of the material relating to beriberi, dysentery, malarial and typhoid 

 fevers, leprosy, and the bubonic j)lague, and later will publi^ih tlmir results in 

 complete form. 



GEOGRAPHIC MISCELLANEA 



Thk United States steamer Nero in its survey for a Transpacific cable re- 

 corded one sounding near Guam Island of 5,269 fathoms — the deepest sea- 

 sounding ever recorded. 



Reports from Valparaiso, Chile, describe a fossil of the whale species dis- 

 covered on the north beach at Caldera. It is stated that the fossil measures 

 about ?>'2 feet and is almost perfectly preserveil. 



With the completion of the triangulation between Chatham and Sumner 

 Straits tlie work of triangulation in southeastern Alaska is ended, and the nec- 

 essary geodetic data for the prej^aration of maps have been obtained. 



