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FUMIGATIONS.
I had an interview with Dr. King of the American Consulate General with
regard to the issuing of a certificate to those steamship companies which comply
with the rat regulations, and whose steamers while in the Port can be certified
to be free of rats. I attach a copy of Dr. King's letter to the steamship companies
concerned which embodies his arrangements with this Authority. The certificate
issued by this Authority, if produced at the American Consulate, exempts the
vessels from the fumigation arrangements of the United States of America and is
thus the complement of the fumigation certificate issued by this Authority.
The arrangement is working smoothly and is in accordance with the obvious
absence of necessity for routine fumigation. The charge made for certification is
one guinea.
American Consulate General,
18, Cavendish Square, W. 1.
October 15 th, 1923.
Gentlemen,
With reference to the certificates which certain vessels should present to the quarantine
officers at American ports, showing observance of precautions against rats while in this port,
I have to inform you that an arrangement has been made whereby the Inspectors of the Port
of London Sanitary Authority will hold such vessels under observation during their stay in
port, and the certificates will be. issued by the U.S. Public Health Service Officer at the
American Consulate General upon information supplied by the Medical Officer of Health,
Port of London.
These certificates will be required at American Ports in case of a vessel desiring an
extension of the six months' period after fumigation in accordance with the U.S. Quarantine
Regulations. Vessels will not require such certificates until after the six months' period has
elapsed.
In case a certificate is desired, the agents of the vessel should so inform the Medical Officer
of Health, Port of London, immediately upon, or in advance of, the arrival of the vessel,
in order that steps may be taken to have the vessel under proper observation while in port.
The notification to the Medical Officer of Health should be made by letter, a carbon copy of
which should be sent to the U.S. Public Health Service Officer at the American Consulate
General
The certificates will be issued by the U.S. Public Health Service Officer at the American
Consulate General, or in his absence by a consular officer, upon the presentation of a certificate
from the Medical Officer of Health, Port of London, certifying that the vessel has observed
the specified precautions against rats. The certificate from the Medical Officer of Health
should be previously obtained and presented at the time of application for the American
bill of health.
A copy of the form of the certificate is herewith enclosed for your information as to the
precautions to be observed against rats.
Surgeon.
U.S. Public Health Service.
FUMIGATION BY HCN. GAS.
During the year a new apparatus for the fumigation of vessels by means of
Hydrocyancic Acid Gas has come into use, and is of such simplicity of type as to
remove many of the dangers attendant on other methods in vogue and thus become
a possible rival of Sulphur Dioxide in general fumigation.
The dangers of the gas, however, will never be eliminated. It is essentially
a rapidly lethal gas, but the production of the gas by means of liquid Hydrocyanic
Acid sprayed into the chamber to be disinfested from a long handled nozzle represents
a great advance as one of simplicity in cyanide fumigation.
The evaporation of the sprayed liquid renders this a cold vapour and produces
a primary sinking of the mass of vapour in the hold for diffusion later. The alteration
in the relative specific gravities of the gas as compared with air at normal temperatures
is a useful feature of the process allowing as it does of greater control of the
vapour.
The methods of cyanide fumigation in use have been fully analysed and described
in a brochure produced by the Ministry of Health and written by Drs.
Stock and Monier Williams.