Page:George Archdall Reid 1896 The present evolution of man.djvu/312

300 fifty cases in private practice without losing one, but from want of shelter and proper food.'

"I will not say that these considerations enable us to understand completely why some epidemics of measles are of a severe type; there may be other factors acting on the physiological disposition of the people in a given locality, or there may be a concentration of the morbid poison, determining the unfavourable type of the epidemic. But the favourite phrase, constitutio epidemica, does not help us at all in the elucidation of the question."—Hirsch, vol. i. pp. 167–9.

"Until a few months ago measles had not entered this group (Samoa). It was conveyed to Tonga, 500 miles south of us, by the New Zealand steamer Upolo in June last, and from all accounts we have received it nearly decimated that group. The same steamer brought the contagion to our group nearly three months afterwards. Here, as in Tonga, the epidemic was at first mild. Comparatively few died at Samoa during the period of the fever and rash. The sequelae and complications have caused the mortality. I have not been able to obtain accurate statistics of the deaths from this recent epidemic throughout Samoa, as the ten inhabited islands of this tropical and volcanic group lie between five parallels of longitude, or, with the intervening straits, cover nearly 270 miles; but judging from the accurate returns obtained here, including a fifth of Samoa, and also from reports obtained from missionaries and others, no fewer than 1000 of the entire population of 31,500 died from measles up to the end of December 1893, and nearly half of these adults. Since then there have probably been a few hundreds more.

"The epidemic was not malignant. Our mortality has arisen principally from gastritis, enteritis, diarrhœa, and dysentery. A few died from suppressed measles. The craving the natives manifest for raw fish, unripe or over-ripe fruit, and especially half-cooked fresh pork, became morbid during the period of convalescence.