View report page

16
Action taken in London.—The vessel arrived off Gravesend at 12.30 p.m. on
21st February. It was boarded by Dr. H. Willoughby, accompanied by two of the
clerical staff, a Sanitary Inspector and one of the assistant rat officers.
The Medical Officer examined all the passengers and crew, and the clerks carefully
checked the addresses of all who were leaving the ship. The passengers were then
allowed to land—about 1.45 p.m. The native crew were taken by launch, with their
bedding and effects, to Denton Hospital, where they were all bathed and their bedding,
&c., steam disinfected. This procedure took about seven hours. Meanwhile their
quarters aft, and the isolation hospital forward, were put under Sulphur fumigation—
3 lbs. of Sulphur being burned per 1,000 cubic feet of space. On return the natives
were housed in the second-class saloon.
The vessel proceeded to dock on the night tide. The native crew were kept
under observation while in London.
The names and addresses of the passengers and European crew were all dispatched
to the Medical Officers of Health of the districts concerned by the 6.30 p.m. post
from Gravesend on 21/2/32.
No further case occurred whilst the vessel was in London. The vessel left for
Hamburg on the 25th February, and the Medical Officer of Health of Hamburg
was notified of the circumstances attaching to this vessel.
Observations.—The history of the first two cases as given to the Boarding Medical
Officer certainty suggested that the diagnosis of Small-pox at Aden was correct. On
the other hand the diagnosis of Chicken-pox in the cases landed at Plymouth was
confirmed by the Ministry of Health.
If the cases at Aden were Small-pox, and those at Plymouth Chicken-pox, it is
difficult to see where the latter were infected. If the Aden cases were Chicken-pox,
then the dates of onset of the Plymouth cases was just right for infection from the
Aden cases. It seems probable, therefore, that either both the Aden cases were
Chicken-pox, or one was Chicken-pox and the other Small-pox. At the time the vessel
arrived in London the information from Plymouth was not absolutely conclusive,
and therefore it was necessary to take all precautions against the possible spread of
Small-pox.
ss. "Cheshire."-On the 17th March the Ministry of Health reported that they
had received from Marseilles the names and addresses of English passengers landing
there from the ss. " Cheshire," together with the recommendation that these persons
should be kept under surveillance for 14 days from the 14th March as contacts with a
suspected case of Small-pox.
Your Medical Officer immediately communicated with the London Agents,
Messrs. Alexander Howden & Co., and asked them to obtain information from their
Marseilles Agent and from the ship. This they kindly did.
It appeared that there were on board three members of the native crew who, in
the opinion of the Ship's Surgeon, were suffering from Chicken-pox, but that the Medical
Officer at Marseilles had suspected Small-pox in one of the cases.
The vessel was calling at Plymouth, and in order that everything might be in
readiness to deal with the vessel promptly on her arrival in London, your Medical
Officer telephoned to the Port Medical Officer at Plymouth asking him to telephone
the diagnosis when he had seen the cases. On 19th March, Plymouth telephoned
that the cases were all definitely Chicken-pox. The vessel arrived in London on
Sunday, 20th March, and was boarded by Dr. H. Willoughby, who confirmed the
diagnosis of Chicken-pox, and removed the patients, with their effects, to Denton
Plospital.