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ss. "Hesperia."—The above-mentioned vessel arrived off Gravesend at 11 p.m.
on 25th May, 1934. On 19th April, 1934, whilst the vessel was at Calicut, a Lascar
complained of an eruption on his face and back. He was seen by the Port Medical
Officer, who diagnosed Small-pox and ordered immediate removal to hospital ashore.
All the native crew, including the above patient, had been vaccinated at Calcutta
on 23rd March, but on the occurrence of the above case, 13 immediate contacts were
re-vaccinated and the European crew of 13 were also vaccinated.
All the living quarters were disinfected under the supervision of the Medical
Officer of Health of Calicut, and the patient's bedding and effects were removed with
him to hospital.
At Suez on 13th May a medical inspection of the whole of the crew was conducted
by the Suez Canal Medical Authority. No further case occurred.
ss. "Pacific Enterprise."—On the arrival of the above-mentioned vessel at
Gravesend on 1st June, it was ascertained that a fireman of the ss. "Hambledown"
had contracted Small-pox in Shanghai in February, 1934. The patient was admitted
to hospital at Raymond, Washington, U.S.A., on the vessel's arrival there. He
remained in hospital for one month, and was shipped home to Barry as a Distressed
British Seamen in the ss. "Pacific Enterprise." He was inspected by the Boarding
Medical Officer at Gravesend, and was permitted to proceed to his home.
Chicken-Pox.
ss. "Mongolia."—On the 5th March the Medical Superintendent of the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. reported by telephone that the
"Mongolia" was due in London on 9th March with a case of Small-pox on board, in
the person of a female child passenger aged 9.
Arrangements were made to send 500 address post-cards to the ship by the pilot
who was to board her at Dungeness, as she was not calling at Plymouth.
Your Medical Officer spent the night of 8th and 9th March on board the "Hygeia"
at Gravesend, and boarded the "Mongolia" Avith the Boarding Medical Officer,
Dr. Kean, at 6 a.m.
The patient was found to be a little Eurasian girl, 9 years old, on her way from a
Roman Catholic Convent in Bombay to England, accompanied by her father and
sister. She had no prodromal symptoms, but while she was being bathed by a
stewardess on 28th February a papular eruption was noticed, and the Ship's Surgeon
was called. He took another doctor on board into consultation, and Small-pox was
diagnosed. The patient Avas isolated promptly, and some 300 of the 450 passengers
were vaccinated. Most of the crew of 300 had been vaccinated 18 months previously,
but those who had not were re-vaccinated.
Your Medical Officer considered the case to be one of Chicken-pox, the distribution
of the rash being centripetal and the lesions very superficial. The child was well
vaccinated and had five good scars, three said to date from infancy and two from a
vaccination two or three years ago, when she entered the Convent.
However, in view of the fact that Small-pox had been diagnosed in the earlier
stages of the disease and that everybody on board had been told the case was Small-pox,
your Medical Officer proceeded as for that disease, sending the case to Denton Hospital
and all the close contacts ashore for bathing and disinfection; inspecting all
passengers and crew and correcting all names and addresses. It was, however,
decided not to send the names and addresses forward to Medical Officers of Health
of districts of destination, as it was felt certain the disease was Varicella.