OK THE MEDICAL TOPOGRAPHY OF SINGAPORE. 
481 
there is how nothing 1 but a decay of vegetable matter, eminently use¬ 
ful in the support of the trees cultivated in it, and from which decay 
no miasmatic or malarious principle now proceeds. Six months af¬ 
ter draining that marsh, intermittent fever disappeared !! So that, 
during subsequent years those who have resided in the two Bunga¬ 
lows already mentioned, and who have not resided for a day or two 
but for months, have not been attacked, and the villagers of Sigl&p 
have been as exempt, as formerly they were prone to attacks of 
fever. 
Within the last 12 months the drain got obstructed, and the ground 
in some parts returned to its former state, the consequence of which 
was, that some of those who lived in the village of Sig-lap, and Mr. 
D. who resided in the Bungalow close to the beach, were again at¬ 
tacked with remittent fever. My coolies were attacked with inter¬ 
mittent fever, and in short, the locality was returning to its former 
unhealthy condition when I again requested the Government’s assist¬ 
ance in clearing out the drain, which was willingly granted, and fe¬ 
ver again disappeared. The same occurred at Bidu, 3 miles from 
Siglap, where there is a large swamp, formerly like the Siglap one 
an extensive Paddy field. The convicts while located there were in- 
cessently attacked with fever, and the villagers also; this swamp has 
now been drained to form cocoanut plantations, and fever has much 
abated, yea almost disappeared. If our attention was directed to 
other parts of the island, we would witness similar results. Prom 
these facts I will deduce the following conclusions. 
First. That Singapore town although surrounded by salt water 
swamps subject to tidal influence, is exempt from endemic fevers. 
Second. That where Europeans or natives are located in the is¬ 
land of Singapore contiguous to a fresh water swamps, they are par¬ 
ticularly obnoxious to fever, principally of an intermittent type. 
Third. That on draining a fresh water swamp the fever will dis¬ 
appear, but on the return of such a swamp to its original state by 
the obstruction of the drainage, the fever will also return. Other 
conclusions not less important may also be drawn, as the following. 
1st. that within G miles from Singapore town fever can be generated 
