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26
Upon the subject of providing safeguards for the protection of this country from
the introduction of Small-pox your Committee, on the 15th May last, addressed
the following letter to the Local Government Board :—
"Guildhall, E.C.,
" 15th May, 1913.
" Sir,
" The Port of London Sanitary Committee have had presented to them
reports from the Medical Officer of Health dealing with cases of Small-pox on
the s.s. " Gaea " and s.s. " Gloucestershire," and I am directed to enclose copies
of the same.
" The Committee note that there are many vessels arriving in the Port of
London within 14 days of their departure from ports at which Small-pox is
known to exist.
" It is possible that, as in the case of the s.s. " Gaea," there may be persons
on board who are incubating the disease, but who have as yet shown no signs or
symptoms of Small-pox. Such persons, if members of the crew, usually are
paid off and land in London, where they are lost trace of, and should they
develop this disease, would form foci which might constitute the starting points
of a serious epidemic of Small-pox.
" The Committee are informed by the Medical Officer of Health that he has
no powers to deal with these vessels should they arrive with no sickness on
board, unless they have come from, or touched at ports infected with Plague,
Yellow Fever or Cholera.
" Having regard to the fact that there is a large and increasing number of
persons in this country unprotected by vaccination or re-vaccination, they think
that powers should be given to Port Sanitary Authorities to visit and inspect
all persons on board ships arriving from ports at which Small-pox is known or
suspected to exist and situated within 14 days steaming of ports in this country ;
that all persons on these vessels should be required to give their names and
addresses ; that they should be detained on board in cases where the addresses
given are unsatisfactory ; and that a penalty should be imposed on such persons
similar to that contained in the Local Government Board Order relating to
Plague, Yellow Fever and Cholera.
" I am,
" Sir,
"Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) "JAMES BELL.
" To the Secretary,
" Local Government Board,
" Whitehall,
" S.W."