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In order that these regulations should be known as widely as possible, copies
were sent to every owner or broker having officers or agents in London, and
an Abstract thereof is printed on the back of the notice left on board every
vessel inspected by your Officers.
Further copies are given to all vessels arriving from "foreign" by Her
Majesty's Customs at Gravesend.
CHOLERA.
In view of the extensive spread of cholera in Spain and Mesopotamia, the
Local Government issued new cholera Regulations, bearing date 28th August.
The importance of these orders, which apply equally to all ports in the
United Kingdom, is such that I append a copy thereof.
Several new additions have been made since last issued, the principal of
which is the provision under Article 10 for furnishing the names and addresses
of all persons leaving an infected ship to the Local Authority of the district
to which such persons are about to proceed.
This, if carefully worked, ought to prove a most valuable safeguard by
keeping the Authority and its Officers informed of the possibility of danger,
and in assisting the early recognition of cases of disease, which otherwise pass
unnoticed.
Provision is also made for cases where a Sanitary Authority is unable to
fix within its own jurisdiction a place for the detention of vessels, giving them
power to appoint some suitable spot, if necessary, outside its district with
the sanction of the Local Government Board (see Article 6).
It is further laid down, for the first time, that on the arrival of any vessel
infected with cholera, the Medical Officer of Health shall give information to
the Local Government Board.
Article 19 compels the hoisting by every cholera infected ship, within three
miles of the coast, of the yellow flag, between sunrise and sunset.
Although no importation of cholera has occurred, there have been several
rumours. During the third week in August much unnecessary alarm was
excited in London by a report that a case of A siatic cholera was actually under
treatment in the Poplar Hospital. The patient was a man who had been
employed on steam ship " Duke of Argyll." He was seen by Dr. W. J. Hill, who
was acting as Port Medical Officer, and the case was carefully investigated
by him in conjunction with Dr. W. H. Power of the Local Government Board.
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