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that such person is suffering from Tuberculosis, send a notification to the Medical
Officer of Health for the district within which the place of residence of the person is
situate at the date of notification.
Such notification is to apply to all cases of Tuberculosis, and not merely to those
of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. This information will be supplied chiefly by the Assistant
Medical Officers of this Authority, who visit incoming vessels on their arrival from
" foreign." Persons from vessels, landing and coming to an Institution for treatment
will be notified by the Medical Officer of such Institution, so that enquiries may be
made in each case and such steps taken as are necessary or desirable for investigating
the source of infection or preventing the spread of infection and for removing
conditions favourable to infection. The names and addresses of persons arriving in the
Port of London will be taken whenever they can be obtained, and they will be notified
to Medical Officers of Health of the districts to which such persons are proceeding.
No legal power is possessed under this Order to compel the supplying of correct
information as to names and addresses, but it is not anticipated that much difficulty
will be met with in obtaining this information.
In each case steps will be taken to disinfect the quarters occupied and their
contents, and to isolate whenever practicable any person remaining on the ship and
suffering from this disease.
PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.
The s.s. "Montezuma," of Liverpool, 110,604, arrived on the 21st February from
St. Johns. One of the stewards was landed in a moribund condition from advanced
pulmonary tuberculosis.
It appeared from the history that symptoms of this disease developed two years
ago, and, acting on medical advice, he went to sea for the benefit of his health.
He had been on various ships, and had always been under treatment by the
surgeon.
It used to be a not uncommon practice when a young man developed symptoms
of pulmonary tuberculosis, to advice him to go to sea, generally as a steward. The
steward spends most of his time below decks, sleeping in the " Glory Hole," where the
ventilation and other sanitary conditions are most unsuitable for anyone suffering from
this disease, and the result can only be to hasten the progress of the disease. Apart
from this, there is the obvious danger of infecting his fellow-stewards, and it is
desirable that such advice should no longer be given.
The following figures show the difference produced by the application of the Order
to Port Sanitary Authorities in the number of notifications received before and after
the issue of the Order :
No. of cases reported 1912 71
1913
151 Pulmonary.
7 Other kinds.
158