480 ON THE MEDICAL TOPOGRAPHY OF SINGAPORE, 
attacked with intermittent fever, for instance when stationed at the 
Galang in a swamp called Pay a. Baser, and at liiddu previous to 
its being drained. Until within the last 4 years no Europeans lived 
in the country contiguous to fresh water swamps; but about that 
time, not knowing that fever was to be met with in any part of the 
island, I built a Bungalow on a hill situated 6 miles from town, one 
mile from the sea, with a swamp to the East and S.E., and the pri¬ 
mitive jungle of high trees inland. I did not reside there one 
month, sleeping only 2 nights weekly, until I was attacked with in¬ 
termittent fever of so severe a type as to resist all treatment for 
months. On a subsequent occasion my brother by sleeping in the 
same house was attacked with intermittent fever, but of a milder 
type. On a hill at the base of the marsh, a mile distant from my 
Bungalow and close to the sea beach, about the same time was built 
another Bungalow ; the proprietors and others only resided there on 
the Saturdays and Sundays, but all, to the number of four, who did 
so were attacked with intermittent fever. The inhabitants chiefly 
Malays, of the neighbouring village of Siglap in that district, were 
continually subject to intermittent fever, a few cases passing into 
a remittent type- At the base of the beautiful hills which surround 
this swamp, are groves of fruit trees, and remnants* of houses, whose 
inhabitants were obliged to leave on account of fever and tigers ; 
the air seemed to be purer, the temperature was lower, the water 
was better, and the soil was of a sandy nature, with a clayey subsoil, 
in all these respects superior to what we meet with in Singapore. 
What then was the cause of this malarious influence ? T lhe swamp, 
I fancied, and accordingly applied to the Government to have it 
drained. A drain miles in length, 5 feet in breadth, and 4 feet 
in depth was made, which had the effect of carrying oft all the super¬ 
fluous moisture, and now, instead of a swamp producing nothing but 
species of Cyparecem and Graminacese reaching the height of 5 and 6 
feet, and, of such a boggy nature that in a few steps you sunk seve- 
feet, there is a dry cultivated plain, well drained, growing vegetables, 
and cocoanut trees, and firm under foot; but above all, instead of a 
swamp of decomposing vegetable matter, the generator of malaria, 
