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On arrival in the Port of London everybody on board was inspected, and all
being found well it was not necessary to arrange surveillance, the incubation period
of the disease having expired at least a month previously.
ss. "Ranpura."—The above-mentioned vessel arrived at Gravesend on the
16th March, having landed a case of Small-pox at Bombay on 23rd February.
The case was Mrs. F-, a first-class passenger aged 45 who had never been
vaccinated, being a conscientious objector. She embarked at Yokohama on
30th January, went ashore at Shanghai on 6th February and visited the native city,
where she bought a fur coat. On 21st February she reported sick with high fever.
The rash appeared on 23rd February, on which date she was landed to hospital in
Bombay.
From the account of the distribution of the eruption it appears to have been an
undoubted case of Variola, and the diagnosis was confirmed by the Port Medical Officer
of Bombay. All close contacts were vaccinated immediately, and all the crew and
the majority of the passengers were vaccinated within 15 hours. The hospital bedding
was thrown overboard and the cabin was disinfected.
The ship arrived at Plymouth on 15th March, and a letter was received from the
Port Medical Officer to the effect that he had inspected everybody on board and found
no further cases. In view of this assurance and of the fact that three weeks had
elapsed from the date of landing of the case to the vessel's arrival at Plymouth, the
inspection of the passengers was not repeated on the arrival of the ship in London.
The inspection would have been repeated in London had the maximum incubation
period not expired at the time of the Plymouth inspection.
ss. "Moldavia."—Previous Information.—On the 28th March the Medical
Superintendent of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company telephoned
that the ss. "Moldavia" had landed to hospital in Port Said on 26th March a native
steward suffering from Small-pox, and that the ship was due in London on 6th April.
Eight hundred address cards were despatched by the P. & 0. Courier from London
on the 28th March and were put on board the ship at Marseilles.
Arrival in London.—The ship arrived in the Port of London at 1 a.m. on 6th April
and was boarded at 6 a.m. by myself, Dr. H. Willoughby, Dr. Parry, two Clerks
and a Sanitary Inspector.
Movements of Vessels—Brisbane 14th February, Sydney 21st February, Melbourne
27th February, Adelaide 1st March, Fremantle 5th March, Colombo 14th March,
Bombay 17th March, Port Sudan 23rd March, Port Said 26th March, Marseilles
30th March.
History of Case.—On 23rd March a Goanese pantry boy, cet. 28 years, reported
sick with a temperature of 102° F. and a vesicular eruption, profuse on the trunk,
slight on the face and limbs. There were no spots on the palms or soles. The patient
said he had felt unwell the previous day, but had no severe symptoms. He was
isolated in the ship's hospital forthwith. On 24th March his temperature was
103.2° F. and a fresh crop of vesicles were stated to have appeared.
On 25th March his temperature was 103° F. a.m., and 105° F. p.m. On this
date the vessel arrived at Suez in the evening, and the case was seen by two Egyptian
Medical Officers, who agreed with the Ship Surgeon's diagnosis of Chicken-pox.
On 26th March the ship arrived at Port Said. The patient's temperature had
fallen to 100° F. and he felt better. He was seen by the Port Medical Officer, who
called in the Chief Medical Officer in consultation. A diagnosis of suspected Small-pox
was made and the case was removed to hospital ashore.
On 28th March a wireless message was received on the ship that the case had
been diagnosed as Small-pox.