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any extent with the commercial interests of the port, and, moreover, it must
be distinctly understood that if powers of notification and removal such as we
seek were granted to the Port Sanitary Authority the Medical Officer would
of course have a discretionary power to carry out removal, &c.
I would farther call the attention of the Board to the fact that the arrangements
of the Authority are such that no delay or detention of any kind occurs
in removal of cases of infectious disease from vessels in the port. The Medical
Officer and proper officers remove cases immediately on notification at
Gravesend, and the vessel is fumigated on her way up the river, if possible, to
avoid the loss of a tide, and I am able to state as a fact, that in no single
instance has detention occurred.
It may be urged of course that chicken-pox is not a "dangerous infectious
disorder" within the meaning of the Act, and this of course is open to argument.
It certainly appears to your Medical Officers that a disease which may
at any moment be spread from crews of vessels to passengers and children of
passengers in a severe form must be considered dangerous in the commonsense
meaning of the word, although not in the large majority of cases
dangerous to life.
CASES OF CHICKEN-POX WITHIN THE
PORT OF LONDON.
4th May, 1882.—Nineteen cases of chicken-pox were removed from
"Assam" by road to Gravesend and taken on board " Rhin." One contracted
small-pox on board.
One case on 17th and one case on 23rd, removed to Homerton. Vessel
fumigated after each removal.
21st May, 1882.—Case of chicken-pox removed to Homerton from "Rome."
8th June, 1882.—Case chicken-pox (emigrant) removed from "Persian
Monarch" at Gravesend and brought back to London.
25th July, 1883.—One case chicken-pox (child) removed from "Grecian
Monarch" to "Rhin." By misunderstanding allowed to leave the ship and
returned to London.
2nd December, 1884.—One case on "Cornwall." Isolated. No history of
infection.
16th June, 1885.—Case removed to hospital from steam ship "New
Guinea" by Board of Trade Medical Officer.
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