﻿204 The Philippine Journal of Science i9i4 



ing provinces, where the death rate from this disease during 

 1912 was as follows : Cagayan, per 1,000 of population, 7 deaths ; 

 Oriental Negros and Ambos Camarines, each 6; and Pangasinan, 

 Laguna, Batangas, and Ilocos Norte, each 5 deaths per 1,000. 

 It was least common in Zambales, Surigao, and Samar, each 

 of which had 1 death per 1,000 of population during this 

 year. Recently, the Bureau of Health, with the approval of the 

 Governor-General, has made arrangements for the distribution 

 of quinine through municipal treasurers, from whom 0.3 gram 

 quinine tablets may be obtained for 1.5 centavos" each. As there 

 are over 700 municipal treasurers in the Islands, this means that 

 there will be 700 agencies for the more general distribution of 

 quinine. 



SMALLPOX 



Smallpox is a disease that in former times was responsible 

 for at least 40,000 deaths per annum. Since systematic Vaccina- 

 tion has been carried on throughout the Islands, the mortality 

 has been reduced to a comparatively few hundreds, but the 

 necessity for constant vigilance in this disease has been most 

 forcibly demonstrated by the events of the past two years. On 

 account of the fact that revaccination and the vaccination of 

 newborn children were not carried out in some of the municipal- 

 ities, an outbreak of smallpox occurred which in one province 

 alone caused over 700 deaths. One of the principal difficulties 

 in the Philippines is to preserve the ordinary glycerinated vaccine 

 virus, and by actual experience it has been found that it is of 

 very doubtful value after it has been removed from an ice 

 box for a period longer than ten days. Much experimenting has 

 been done, and recently a powdered vaccine has been developed 

 which it is hoped will keep for a much longer period of time, but 

 the danger from infection is greatly increased by the use of. this 

 kind of vaccine, so that the glycerinated virus used before a 

 week has expired since it left the ice is still the safest. A careful 

 review of the statistics of the Philippine Islands shows that 

 smallpox infection apparently exists everywhere in the Islands, 

 and it will make its appearance in any community in which there 

 are unvaccinated persons. 



LEPROSY 



Leprosy is a disease that has been responsible for at least 

 1,000 of deaths per annum and probably for the new infection 

 of a like number of persons. Practically all of the lepers of 



" One centavo equals 0.005 dollar United States currency. 



