4/6 ON TIIE MEDICAL TOPOGRAPHY OF SINGAPORE. 
On the authority of Drs. Martin, and Oxley, and on my own, I 
venture to say that for the last 16 years, these have been the only 
cases of Remittent fever attacking- European residents, produced by 
local causes. 
By the kindness of Dr. Oxley I have been furnished with 4 an¬ 
nual reports of the diseases and deaths of the patients in the Euro¬ 
pean Hospital, the Convict Hospital, and the Pauper Hospital with 
the Insane Asylum ; but as it would be impossible to do justice to 
these reports and confine this paper to a reasonable length, I cannot 
give more than the report on the diseases produced by local influ¬ 
ence. 
I will now shew the reader what has been published concerning 
Singapore, and that I may not extend this paper to too great length 
I will be as brief as possible. 
“ The site of the town is remarkable for its salubrity, and the fe¬ 
vers and dyssentries of ordinary tropical countries are of very rare 
occurence. I have no recollection indeed of any European having 
fallen a victim to the climate in the long period of 9 years, since 
the formation of the settlement. This may appear at first view the 
more remarkable, since a considerable portion of the site of the town, 
and much of the neighbourhood is a low and even noisome marsh.— 
(Craufurd/s Embassy.) 
“ It has been a matter of astonishment that the settlement, sur¬ 
rounded as Singapore is by marshes, should from the time of its for¬ 
mation, never have suffered from the extensive exhalations which 
must of necessity arise from them. The causes which operate in the 
production of Malaria are at first view alj combined ; the fact howe¬ 
ver, that malignant Remittent fever is unknown at Singapore would 
render an absolute assertion to this effect nugatory. That a very 
large quantity of decayed vegetable matter is imbedded in the fresh 
and salt water swamps is undeniable, and from their number, extent, 
and general aspect, it becomes an interesting question, to what cir¬ 
cumstance are we indebted for the total absence of the more formi¬ 
dable varieties ol fever, and the acknowledged salubrity of the cli- 
