﻿152 The Philippine Journal of Science 1914 



The exact influence of race and nationality upon the resistance 

 of this populace to disease cannot be estimated, and even ap- 

 proximate estimates would be of little value. 



It is my opinion, based upon physical examinations, that the 

 American comes first in physical fitness, with the Japanese 

 second. The Filipino is more subnormal in development than 

 any of the other nationalities, and next higher, but not greatly 

 above him in the physical scale, comes the East Indian. The 

 habits of life and of religion, in the case of the Hindus, may play 

 some part in the determination of their resistance to disease, 

 but no generalizations are possible. 



The tractability of the various nationalities also enters into 

 the problem, and in this regard I believe the Filipino, under 

 proper authority, to be fully as tractable and amenable to sanitary 

 and medical restraints and discipline as any of the other races 

 represented here. I emphasize the matter of authority, in as 

 much as it is absolutely vital to the solution of this problem, and 

 at present it seems to be the most neglected part of the sanitary 

 and medical scheme. 



Concerning the matter of resistance -to the sun's heat and light, 

 we have no reliable data, and the present confusion and disagree- 

 ment among students as to the effects of tropical light upon man 

 warrant us in devoting ourselves to a search for more tangible 

 and evident causes of disease. 



As to the general physical condition of the working populace 

 at San Jose at the present time, it may be said that the people 

 are poorly nurtured and anaemic. Many are harboring malaria 

 parasites, and are suffering from the blood-destroying activities 

 of these organisms. Considering the character of the work done 

 and the hours of labor, all are underfed and are thereby rendered 

 less resistant to invasion by most of the infectious diseases. A 

 good many are tuberculous and consequently unfit for service of 

 any kind. The term "semimiserable" does not understate the 

 physical condition of the people in general. 



I am unable to give the proportion of women and children to 

 the 3,000 inhabitants, but it is certainly much less than that 

 normally existing in Filipino villages. The adult population 

 furnishes the greater portion of the sickness. 



Of the deaths occurring during the last quarter of 1912, 

 18 per cent were among children, whereas in Manila the constant 

 percentage of deaths among children exceeds 50 per cent of the 

 whole. 



During the two months immediately preceding our visit, 10 



