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15
CHOLERA.
This disease was prevalent in St. Petersburg at the end of the year 1908,
and persisted during the Winter months.
With the arrival of Spring the number of cases increased rapidly, and the
disease extended to Cronstadt, Archangel, parts of Finland, and along the Baltic
littoral.
Nearly 7,000 cases occurred in the City of St. Petersburg alone, with a
mortality of about 40 per cent.
The disease extended in August to Rotterdam, where it was probably
carried by vessels from St. Petersburg, with the water in their ballast tanks
which had been obtained from the infected waters of the River Neva. This
was pumped out into the River at Rotterdam, and infected the water there.
About 34 cases, with 15 deaths, were recorded in Rotterdam alone, and a
few isolated cases occurred in the interior of Holland, and also in Belgium
territory.
The wet, cold weather experienced during the Summer months was not
favourable to the extension of Cholera, but the fact that cases of this disease
have occurred in various parts of Holland and Belgium renders these
countries potentially dangerous, should the weather in the coming Summer
be favourable to an extension of this disease.
As soon as I learned that cases of Cholera had occurred at Rotterdam, it
was necessary to at once prepare plans for dealing with the disease should it
extend to any extent in other parts of Holland. Queenborough is situated
within the Port of London, and two vessels arrive there daily from Flushing,
in Holland, and many of the passengers come from places in the interior of
Holland; these would be potentially a source of danger, as they might
develop the disease either during the voyage or soon after arriving at their
destination in this country.
I visited Queenborough, and had a long interview with the representative of
the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, and he willingly agreed to co-operate
with me in any precautionary measures I might deem necessary to put
in force.
I wrote him on 30th August, 1909, as follows:—
" 30th Auqust, 1909.
"Sir,
"Several cases of Asiatic Cholera have occurred at Rotterdam, and it
may be necessary at any time to apply the Regulations of the Local
Government Board relating to Cholera, Yellow Fever, and Plague
in regard to vessels of the Zeeland Steamship Company arriving at
Queenborough Pier from Flushing.