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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![Piiajus. subject, and temperate remonstrances made in cases of unnecessary quarantines, will have the effect of gradually abating tb's source of durance to individuals and impediments to- commerce. The quarantines now existing in the Levant originated in false principles, then coun- - tenanced by Europe, and are maintained as an institution of Government and by medical authorities, who here find a means for the exercise of authority without ajjpeal, and are supported by the prejudices of the people; but, on the other hand, the hardships which have resulted are so great, and the objects have so much of a political colour, and looked upon as an engine of Government, that the intervention of other Governments, whose subjects are inconvenienced, might be justified either in the form of counsel, example, infomnation, or remonstrance. It is, perhaps, by a well-directed attack on a striking or flagrant case that this and- other evils are to be abated in the Levant. James Black, J. D. Dianatari, U. S. Consul. NEW BRUNSWICK. [The following particulars Avere communicated in a Despatch of the Governor to the Colonial Office, dated April 186 L] St. John's. Mew Brunswick. DuRiNG the six years, 1855-1860, there were 31 vessels put in quarantine; but, in the- majority of instances, the detention did not exceed a few hours, or at most one day, and' this merely for the purpose of cleansing and fumigating the vessel. The longest periods were four and five days: in the one instance, on account of typhus fever, during the voyage from Liverpool and upon arrival; and in the other instance, on account of yellow fever diu-ing the voyage from Havanna. The crews were landed, and the vessels cleared' out and })urified. Six of the vessels were detained in consequence of one or more cases of smallpox having occurred among the crews or j)assengers; four in consequence of yellow fever, and all the remainder in consequence of typhus or typhoid fever. No detailed par- ticulars are given respecting the cases, nor any other information afibi'ded than the state- ment, that in the month of April 1858, the ship ' David ' arrived from Europe during the' absence of the quarantine months (?), having smallpox on the voyage; and on arrival, the vessel came up to the whai'f. The captain landed, and carried the diseased parties clandestinely to Quaco. One person, from going on board, was taken with the disease, and came near infecting the city in ccusequence. On diticovery, the vessel was cleansed and fumigated, and the per- sons with the disease placed under surveillan(?e, and the case reported to the Government. MiEAMICHI. One vessel was placed in quarantine in 1856, viz. the ' Algiers,' for three days; she had', 29 of a crew, but no passengers. One vessel, in 1858, viz. the ' Freemad,' was in quarantine 14 days; crew 16, passengers none. No vessels were placed in quarantine in the years'■ 1855, 1857, 1859 or 1860. In the other parts of the pi'ovince, no vessels have been detained for several years past. NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. Navigator Island?. Mil. WiLLiAMS, British Consul at Apia Upolu, states that there are no quarantine - regvdations at this port. The chiefs of the port would apply to the consuls for advice and assistance in case a vessel should arrive here with any malignant disease on board, and all^ would trust to the consuls, for they are the only parties who can or do exercise any authority over vessels visiting this port; the chiefs not being willing to interfere, and afraid lest they should get into trouble Avith any foreign port. In 1853, an American vessel called here, on her way to Sydney, with smallpox on board ; and Mr. J. Pritchard, then Her Majesty's Consul, Avas called upon by the chiefs and foreign residents of A])Ia to ])rcvent any intercourse betAveen the vessel and the shore; the smallpox being of a mild kind, no baneful effects resulted. '' The port of Apia is considered healthy, and so are the whole of these islands. Measles^ smallpox, cholera, have not been known amongst them. Diarrhoea and dysentery, Ioav and intermittent fevers, are the prevailing diseases. Influenza visits these Islands In the spring, and autumn. Elephantiasis Is common, and affects the arms, legs, and breasts of females, and the scrotum In men; I have found quinine of great service in Avarding off its attacks. Scrofula, in all its forms, is very prevalent. Syphilis was first introduced into these islands-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b23984843_0010.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
