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of Trade Medical Officer was instructed to land these cases at the hospital
ship "Rhin," belonging to the Port of London Sanitary Authority at that
time. The medical inspection still continues, and on many occasions cases of
infectious disease have been discovered and handed over to the Port Sanitary
Authority.
The common practice of the Medical Officer of the Board of Trade is to
board the tender on arrival alongside the ship at Gravesend, and to examine
every person as they pass up the gangway. There seems no reason why this
should not be done on the pontoon at Tilbury before the emigrants pass on to the
tender. Although it is true that in the case of infectious disease several persons
may have been exposed to risk of infection whilst travelling in the train, yet
when such person goes on board the tender and mixes with the other passengers,
the risk becomes general. The difficulty of re-landing will be got over if
such examination be done on the pontoon or in the dock.
On February 14th last, the s.s. "Orizaba," being outward bound to
Australia, the Medical Officer of the Board of Trade found, whilst examining
the passengers on the tender, that a child was suffering from Chicken-pox.
He placed the father and mother and two children in a boat and sent them
to the hulk " Hygeia'' with their baggage.
There is no difficulty in dealing with a case of infectious disease, but a
difficulty arises in connection with the friends. In this instance the people had
paid their passage-money, had come from Leicestershire, and they suddenly
found themselves stranded. The question of dealing with them was thrown
upon your Officers. The father alleged he was without means, and unable to
make provision for staying until his child recovered, and the vessel had sailed.
From motives of humanity, therefore, I provided the family with shelter on
the hulk, offering in the morning to take the child into hospital, and referred
the father to the relieving officer of Gravesend.
The father finally adopted a passive attitude, and the whole family with their
baggage were landed at Gravesend.
Ike points of the case are :—
1. The Board of Trade undertake this medical inspection in the
interest of the steerage passengers. If a case of infectious disease is
found they refuse to allow the case to proceed. If the patient be a child
with its parents, it means, of course, that the parents will not sail without
the child, and the instructions to the Board of Trade Medical Officer are
that they shall land.