Plague : papers relating to the modern history and recent progress of Levantine plague / prepared from the time to time by direction of the president of the Local Government Board, with other papers ; sented to both House of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty.

  • Radcliffe, Netten.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Plague : papers relating to the modern history and recent progress of Levantine plague / prepared from the time to time by direction of the president of the Local Government Board, with other papers ; sented to both House of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    79/82 (page 73)
    6. With respect to the importations of infectious diseases from abroad, it may be convenient to state in some detail the course pursued by the Customs acting under the Quarantine Act, and by direction of the Privy Council, in assisting the local sanitary authorities. On the 20th April 1861, the Commissioners of Customs addressed a circular letter (No. ylf y) to the collectors of the several ports, dii-ecting them to instruct the proper officers at their ports, in the event of the arrival of a vessel in which there was any case of cholera, small-pox, typhus, or typhoid fever, or in which any disease whatever was extensively prevalent, forthwith to report the same to the local authorities, in order that they may take such measures as they see fit for the protection of the public health within their jurisdiction. This direction has been acted upon since that date, and in 1873, under a minute {-^W) dated 2nd October, the Commissioners gave instructions that the practice of interrogating vessels from Eoreign followed in the Port of London should be observed at all ports in the United Kingdom, so far as local circumstances would admit. The practice referred to is thus described in this minute:— Statement of the practice pursued at the Port of Zondonfor the interrogation of masters of vessels arriving from Foreign as to the health of the crew a/nd passengers. Every vessel arriving at the Port of London from Poreign is bound to hoist . her colour by day and to exhibit a light by night on reaching the quarantine ground,* for the information of the boarding officer. On seeing such signal the officer visits the vessel and interrogates the master as to the health of the crew and passengers (if any), and whether any deaths or sickness has occurred on board during the voyage; whether he has any bill of health, and, if from the Medi- terranean, British Consul's bill of health, failing which the vessel is detained and the case reported to the Board. If all questions are answered in a satisfactory manner, the vessel is allowed free pratique, and the ' quarantine certificate' is issued, without which no vessel is allowed to Report. If there has been any sickness of an infectious or contagious character, or even of a doubtful nature, or the character of which is unknown by the master, the vessel is detained and inspected by the proper medical officer. Should a vessel arrive from any port infected with cholera or ' suspected,' the printed cholera questions are put, and if the answers are satisfactory, the vessel is cleared, but if otherwise, she is detained and the medical officer of health [of the sanitary authority]! is immediately apprised, and on the receipt of a certifi- cate from such medical officer that there is no infectious illness on board, the vessel is allowed to proceed. Every vessel from Foreign, without any exception, is questioned verbally as to the health of all persons on board, but as regards the continental passenger steam vessels, to prevent unnecessary detention, the questions are put in as brief and condensed a form as possible. 7. In the statement in paragraph 5 on the provisions existing for dealing with infectious disease I have not thought it necessary to advert (as being foreign to the purpose of this memorandum) to the powers which the Local Government Board have under section 130 and sections 134-140 for issuing regulations, in the event of formidable epidemics, for certain purposes, as for speedy interment of dead, house-to- house visitation, providing medical treatment, &c., &c. Nor have I thought it neces- sary to advert to the powers vested under the Quarantine Act, partly in the Privy Council and partly in the Local Government Board, but which are not in exercise, to issue orders on any unforeseen emergency, 8. The relative advantages of the system of medical inspection and of quarantine as against cholera in the ports of Europe underwent the most thorough discussion at the International Sanitary Conference which was held in Vienna in 1871. A large majority of the delegates, including those from every State of the first I'ank except Prance, declared in favour of the former system. The minority, while adhering to quarantine, agreed to a system which would considerably diminish its stringency as * When no special quarantine ground has been appointed, this must be read as the boarding station of the port. ■| The sanitary authority of every district exercises sanitary jurisdiction over all ports and shipping in its district, except where from topographical circumstances it has been found necessary to create a special port sanitary authority. The Public Health Act, 1875 (sections 287-293), enipo-wers the Local Governtiieiit Board to create such an authority, and to assign to it such powers, rights, duties, &c., provided for in the Act, and exercised by sanitary authorities in general, as may be necessary,—E.C.S, L3