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There was on board a lady passenger, who had also embarked at Bombay with
her husband and child. On 30th January she had reported to the Ship's Surgeon with
an eruption on the trunk, face and arms. She had suffered from malaise for one day
only, the distribution of the rash was centripetal and the papules, which rapidly
developed into vesicles, appeared in crops over a period of a week. The patient had
been successfully vaccinated in infancy. Re-vaccinations, two and a-half years ago
and one year ago, had not been successful. The Surgeon diagnosed Chicken-pox.
This diagnosis was confirmed by the Port Medical Officer in Plymouth, and again in
London. The patient was permitted to proceed to her own home in a private car. The
infection could not have been contracted on the ship, as she only embarked nine days
before the eruption appeared.
ss. "Rawalpindi."—Previous Information.—A telegram was received on
9th March from the Medical Officer of Health of Plymouth to the effect that the
ss. "Rawalpindi" had on arrival reported the landing at Aden on 22nd February of a
deck passenger suffering from Small-pox.
Movements of Vessel—
Bombay February 18 Gibraltar March 6
Aden „ 22 Plymouth „ 9
Port Said „ 26 Gravesend „ 10
Marseilles March 3
Number of Persons on Board.—Passengers, 447. Crew: Europeans, 122;
Natives, 221. In addition, 119 passengers left the vessel at Marseilles and
84 passengers at Plymouth.
History of Case.—A native deck passenger was found on disembarkation at Aden
on 22nd February to have a few spots on his face and body. The case was diagnosed
by the Aden Port Sanitary Authority as Chicken-pox and the patient was removed to
hospital with his effects. In all there were nine native deck passengers who embarked
at Bombay for Aden. They were berthed on the after deck and had no immediate
contact with the other persons on board. The effects of the deck passengers were
landed with them. No ship's bedding, &c., had been used by these passengers. On
the arrival of the vessel off Suez on 26th February, the Port Health Officer informed
the Ship's Surgeon that the case landed at Aden had been diagnosed as Small-pox.
Action taken on Board.—All effects had been landed with the patient at
Aden, and the only action taken on board was the washing with caustic soda and sea
water of the deck occupied by the native passengers. All the crew, native and
European, had been vaccinated within the last year. Every passenger who embarked
at Bombay was examined by the Port Medical Officer and all were reported to be well
protected by vaccination against Small-pox. Four passengers were vaccinated by
the Ship's Surgeon, en route, at their own request.
Action taken in London.—The vessel arrived off Gravesend at 8 a.m. on Friday,
10th March, and was boarded by Dr. Warrack and Dr. Kidd, accompanied by two of
the clerical staff. The whole of the passengers and crew were medically inspected and
the names and addresses of the passengers were carefully checked with the passenger
list. These names and addresses were subsequently forwarded to the Medical Officers
of Health of the districts concerned by 5 p.m. the same day. No information had been
sent to the Ministry of Health regarding the destinations of the passengers who had
landed at Marseilles. The names and addresses of these passengers were obtained
from the manifest and were forwarded immediately to the Medical Officers of Health
concerned. These addresses could not, of course, be checked. Only four of the crew
left the ship. Those remaining on board were kept under daily observation. The
vessel sailed again on the 17th March.
ss. "Rajputana."—Previous Information.—On 15th May the Medical Superintendent
of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company telephoned that
a passenger from the ss. "Rajputana" had died from Small-pox in hospital at Aden
on 5th May, and that the vessel was due at Plymouth on 25th May and London