The laws relating to quarantine of Her Majesty's dominions at home and abroad, and of the principal foreign states : including the sections of the Public health act, 1875, which bear upon measures of prevention.

  • Sir George Sherston Baker
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The laws relating to quarantine of Her Majesty's dominions at home and abroad, and of the principal foreign states : including the sections of the Public health act, 1875, which bear upon measures of prevention. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

    572/632 (page 552)
    [Copy.] To Messrs. Donald Currie and Co. July 4TH, 1877. Gentlemen,—I am directed by this port sanitary authority to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 3rd inst., asking for information as to the regulations in force under the pro- visions of the Public Health Act of 1875, in way of dealing with vessels that arrive in the Port of London, having on board, or having had on board, cases of contagious or infectious disease. In reply thereto I am to state that, under the circumstances above recited, the following steps are taken:— (1.) The vessel is boarded as soon as possible after she has anchored, or has come to moorings, by one of the officers of this authority. (2.) All persons not sick are allowed to land immediately. (3.) All sick persons are removed in an ambulance, or other proper conveyance, to the nearest hospital for contagious diseases, or are sent to the floating hospital maintained by this authority off Gravesend. (4.) The quarters, &c., of the crew and passengers (and, if necessary, the cargo), are thoroughly fumigated for eight or nine hours with sulphur and charcoal, all bedding and articles of clothing are disinfected (and, if necessary,, destroyed), the bunks, berths, bulkheads, and all other woodwork are then thoroughly scrubbed with carbolic acid and water, and, in most cases, repainted. A sanitary clearance is then given by this port authority to the officer of Customs, the entire proceeding usually occupying about forty-eight hours. I am to add, for your information, that the provisions of the Public Health Act, under which this port authority is constituted, do not recognize the system of quarantine as practised in the case of the Taymouth Castle, for it was practically decided some years ago by the medical officer of the Privy Council and Local Govern- ment Board, and by other eminent authorities, that the prolonged detention of sick and healthy persons on an infected ship was un- scientific, fraught with danger to the healthy, and often failed to isolate the disease. lam also to record the opinion that powers of detention for forty-eight hours appear sufficient to enable sanitary authorities to