Report by the Central Board of Health of Jamaica / presented to the legislature under the provisions of the 14th Vic. chap. 60, and printed by order of the Assembly.

Jamaica. Central Board of Health

Date:: 1852

Credit: Report by the Central Board of Health of Jamaica / presented to the legislature under the provisions of the 14th Vic. chap. 60, and printed by order of the Assembly. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

68/594 (page 54)

$rarUiiK^ measures were adopted to prevent the intro- duction of the cholera into Jamaica \ He answers— In September, by an order of the governor in coun- cil, quarantine was imposed on vessels coming' from Carthageaa, Sa\ aiiilla, (the sea-port of Baranquilla,) and Sautha Martha, where cholera was said to exist. This order was rescinded on the 4th of Octo{)er fol- lowing ; subsequent orders were issued in October, ]y50, viz. : those above alluded to. It must be borne in mind, ihat at this time, the disease was al- ready in Port-Royal. It was stated both publicly and privately to exist in Cuba during the latter end of 1849, ancl, a c^reat portion of 1850, and in answer to the question—Were any quarantine restrictions placed on arrivals from Cuba in that year ? Answer—1 am not av.'are of anv. 1 never received anv instructions respecting any ]>ort in Cuba. But if any vessel ar- rived from Cuba in less than live days, cholera being known to exist in the port from which she came, I should certainly have put her into quarantine accord- ingly. To the question—Was it generally known here that (holera existed in Cuba, in 1849 and 1850 ? He answers—1 read it in the newspapers at the time. To tlie question—If cliolera did not exist in her port of departure, altiio\igli it prevailed in other parts of Cuba, you w ould not have put her into quarantine \ Answer. No, if she brouglit a clean bill, and the port was reported ft ee, or known to be so. In answer to the question—Was the port of Chagres mentioned in any of the orders of the governor in council, respect- ing the places which were deemed suspected either in 1849 or 1850 ? Answer. No, it was not, to the best of my recollection, nor could 1 learn that it was after the most rigid and formal examinations. To the question—You are aware that many i)ersons liave alledged that the first cases of cholera, at Port-Roy- al were traceable in vessels from Chagres, what is your oi>inion \ 11 was certainly not traceable, although 1 used every exertion in my power to discover if it were so. 1 examined, on oath, all the masters and$