Quarantine : return to an order of the honourable the House of Commons, dated 5 August 1861, for : copy of the papers relating to quarantine, communicated to the Board of Trade on the 30th day of July / Edgar A. Bowring.
- Edgar Alfred Bowring
- Date:
- 1861
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Quarantine : return to an order of the honourable the House of Commons, dated 5 August 1861, for : copy of the papers relating to quarantine, communicated to the Board of Trade on the 30th day of July / Edgar A. Bowring. 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.
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![Cadiz. foreign. No information is given as to their ports of departure, cause of quarantine, &c. Of the above 138 vessels, 74 were Spanish, and 64 were foreign. During the year, the entire number of arrivals in the port, mcluding coasting vessels and men of war, was 5,067. Of 1,428 merchant vessels from abroad, 499 were Spanish, and 929 were foreign, of which last number, 362 were British, 227 were French, and the rest were from Sweden, Russia, and America, &c. PIR^US. Piraeus. Mr. Consul Neale states in his replies to the Queries of the National Association, that— Syria, Alexandria, and Barbary are ordinarily in quarantine, as well as other ports communicating with the above places, when, ])erhaps, the suspicion of sickness exists. The diseases for which quarantine is imposed, are cholera, plague, smallpox, and scarlet (yellow ?) fever. The quarantines for persons are five, 12 or 21 days, and for goods, eight, 15 or 28 days. By a Royal decree of March 1856, very stringent regulations were issued respecting vessels infected with typhus, or arriving from a place where that fever prevailed on departure. No difference is made between men-of-war and merchantmen ; but the former, as well as yachts, have this advantage, that having no merchandise on board, the quarantine can only date from the time of arrival, and not as with merchantmen only from the time of the landing of the cargo. No exception is ever made in favour of any passengers, and even his Majesty the King of Greece has had to conform to the laws. But during the late Russian war, there being a military occupation here, the French authorities forced the health officer to give pratique to Prince Napoleon. There is no doubt also that the health office can do what they like. Thus, in 1850, when Admiral Parker's squadron hove in sight, the Quarantine Board suddenly came to a decision, and put the Piraeus into quarantine. It is a general opinion in the Levant that political motives are often at the bottom of the measures taken in respect of quarantine. It must be eight days after the date of the official declaration of the ceasing of a malady before clean bills are given here, and the same number of days after a disease is declared to have ceased at a foreign port, before arrivals from such port are admitted to pratique. The Greek authorities are much regulated on this subject by the reports of their consuls. Formerly, and until 1854, there was a stone building adjoining the Custom-house, which was used as a lazaret, and the parlatorio is still there. But during the occupation of the Pirajus by the English and French, the latter having taken the building for bar- racks, it was and hns since been abandoned by the Government as a lazaret. In 1854, eight wooden huts were erected on the side of the port opposite the town, and about a mile distant. Tents would be a luxury to such habitations; the situation is most desolate, and the place altogether so unfit for a civilised being, that I have known several instances of English families, who, rather than subject themselves to this uncomfortable durance, have abandoned their visit to Athens, and proceeded on their voyage. A large lazaret is in course of construction. Cargoes are landed at the lazaret; they are opened and aired. Copper and lead are immersed in water, and coins in vinegar. Letters are fumigated. Non-susceptible goods are grain, iron, coals, oil, paints, wood, barrels and staves, liquids, and wines and spirits, bottles without labels, &c. The spoglio is abolished. There is a Government medical officer who charges for attendance on the sick according to a moderate tariff. There is also a priest belonging to the lazaret; but other doctors and priests would, on application, be allowed to attend. Before a vessel receives a clean bill on leaving, the medical officer rarely inspects the vessel, but always the crew. The sanitary penal laws breathe nothing but death or perpetual banishment, and terms of imprisonment, for infractions of the quarantine laws; but in practice fines have been subs-tituted, and these are very laxly inflicted. The existing sanitary law of Greece appears to be of the date of 1845; but various new regulations have been introduced from time to time. Excepting in the case of the cholera in 1854, Athens has not been directly cut off from oommunication with other places; and when this was the case, it proved quite ineffectual by the fact of the cholera, nevertheless, breaking out afterwards. There is a perpetual cordon on the northern frontier of Greece ; but it is worse than useless, as it is quite imjjossiljle to guard this extent of frontier. Registers are kept of vessels that are quarantined, but I have not been able to ascertain that any tabular results have been framed. • In 1858 the number of vessels quarantined was 148, coming from Syria, Barbary, Alexandria, Malta, and Constantinople; the two latter places being in quarantine on accoimt of their free intercourse with the former places, despite of their local quarantines. One nation in the Levant puts no faith in the quarantines of another. The quarantine on arrivals from Constantinople was for two days, from Malta for three days, and from Egypt, Syria, and Barbary for six days. The cause of detention in all cases was a suspected bill of health, or the suspicion of smallpox. No case of sickness occurred during the voyage or in quarantine. « The](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b23984843_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
