The terror of the tents, or, Quarantine restrictions as imposed and enforced in Jamaica during the prevalence of small-pox, under so-called paternal government.

Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The terror of the tents, or, Quarantine restrictions as imposed and enforced in Jamaica during the prevalence of small-pox, under so-called paternal government. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    Pr. Bowerbank to the Colonial Secretary. Kingston, 1st July, 1872. Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your commu nication, No. 4217, of the date of the 29th ult., in reply to mine of the 2Lst ult. In two subsequent com- munications of the respective dates, of the 23rd and 26th ulto., addressed to yourself, I h;ive, I believe, done all his Excellency the Governor has rctjuired or requested me to do, and I would respectfully submit that the best proof of the correctness of all I have stated is, that up to date, not one single person has been induced to enter the hospital prepared for those suffering from Small-pox. In addition to what I have already stated, I have only to observe, that wakes or set-ups, are still being held over persons dying of Small-pox, and that I have additional proof that the fact of persons not having Small-pox enter- ing the so-call id quarantine tents was not only known to, but sanctioned, or winked at by another of the constabu- lary force, whose duty it was to have prevented it, and to have reported it to his superior officer. Since my communi- cation of the 26th ulto. a supplement to the Jamaica Gazette of the 27th June has appeared, in which is the following notice: Colonial Secretary's Office, 2]St June 1872. The Governor directs that the following statement as to the number of cases of Small-pox that have occurred in Jamaica since the month of September last, with the re- sults of these cases be published for general information. Then follows : A tabulated statement showing the number of cases of Small-pox which have occurred in the island since September, 1871, to the 31st May, 1872, and the results of such cases as known to the department, or as Dr. Ross the acting S.M.O. of the Government very properly expresses it as far as is known to this depart- ment. ^ By this return it appears that there have been 249 cases of which 145 are said to have recovered, 52 to have diedy and 62 to be remaining on the ist June.
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