Health > Collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the National Government of the Republic of China

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Vital Statistics.
It is not at present possible to obtain reliable figures for the whole city of Shanghai,
and, in consequence, any given can only be regarded as approximate and as applying
to certain areas. The report of the Health Commissioner to the Shanghai Municipal
Council for 1929 gives the death rate for foreigners as 18.98 and for Chinese as 16.42
per 1,000 population.
The density of population within settlement limits is given at 155 persons per acre.
This report draws attention to the serious epidemics of cerebro-spinal fever and
cholera which occurred in 1929.
The former disease affected 1,099 persons, of whom 512 died, while the latter resulted
in the notification of 3,513 cases with 307 deaths. Notifications were also received of
102 cases of typhoid and 15 of paratyphoid among foreign residents, and, in addition,
512 Chinese deaths were reported.
Of the diseases referred to in the Convention, cholera has been mentioned. Smallpox
is endemic, and caused 12 deaths among foreigners and 165 among Chinese.
No cases of human or rat plague occurred, but four cases of typhus were recorded.
Prophylactic measures.
Vaccination against smallpox is being actively pushed in each of the municipalities.
Similarlv, as a result of several conferences between the various health authorities,
an inoculation campaign against cholera was commenced in the three municipalities
in May 1930.
In regard to plague, trapping operations are carried on in the international concession,
and regular laboratory examination of dead rats is performed.
Water Supply.
Each of the municipalities has a public water-supply service. At the present time,
the Greater Shanghai municipality is constructing a purification plant.
The water in each case is taken from the Whangpoo river and is filtered and chlorinated
before being supplied to the public.
The Shanghai Waterworks Co. have a fleet of water-boats, which supply vessels
in the port as required.
Some of the wharves are supplied with this wrater, while others have a supply from
tanks or wells.
Position of the Port.
Shanghai is situated on the easternmost central point of the Chinese seaboard,
about equally distant in shipping time from both Western Euiope and the United States
of America.
Being situated close to one of the largest navigable rivers in the world, the Yang-tze,
Shanghai can serve an area of three-quarters of a million square miles, which forms the
watershed of that river. This river provides for 600 miles (up to Hankow) a means of
water-carriage available in summer to vessels drawing up to 28 to 30 feet and in wintei
to vessels drawing from 8 to 10 feet.
Shanghai also serves as a transhipment port to many coastal ports both to the
north and south of its location.
Quarantine Anchorage.
The south channel of the Yang-tze river, off the entrance to the Whangpoo, forms
a safe open anchorage for large vessels.