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"Case landed 19th confirmed modified smallpox".
or words to that effect.
80 On receipt of this signal a wireless message was sent to Malta for more
lymph because the lymph stock put on board in London had been made use of on
the outward voyage and it was feared that there would be insufficient lymph to
vaccinate all the passengers and crew. Incidentally. much of the lymph supplied
was in five-dose tubes and if an individual vaccination was made from a fivedose
tube of lymph, the remainder of the tube had to be rejected.
9 © The ship put in to Malta on the 25th and 700 doses of lymph were obtained.
The lymph bore the label of the Pasteur Institute.
10. The surgeon began vaccination of the crew with the remaining lymph stock on
board at 10 a.m. This lymph was from the Jenner Institute , Batch No. 7710, which
had been kept in the dispensary at 0°. The lymph was sufficient to vaccinate all
the crew and this was completed on the morning of the 25th.
11. The vaccination of passengers started at 4.30 p.m. on the 25th as soon as
the lymph had 'been obtained from Malta. All were vaccinated except those
•producing very recent soarsj scabs and in possession of certificates'.
Incidentally, the Ship's Surgeon had seen all passengers embarking at Bombay and
in collaboration with the Fort Medical Officer, Bombay, had vaccinated all persons
not in possession of an acceptable vaccination certificate. The numbers showing
recent scars or scabs and certificates of recent vaccination carried out in
Australia amounted to approximately 150 and these -were exempted from vaccination.
12. All persons who were vaccinated on board were inspected on the 27th and a
certificate of vaccination completed according to the results found. There were
no refusals of vaccination but two passengers were not vaccinated on account of
intercurrent diseaseo One - a diabetic cripple - on the grounds that it would
be unwise to vaccinate having regard to his condition and to the fact that he was
under the care of a doctor and was going straight to the Post Graduate Medical
School at Ducane Road by ambulance on arrival at Tilbury. The other passenger,
a young Asian woman, showed scars of an attack of smallpox.
13. In view of the circumstances I decided to board the ship at Brixham where
she would pick up the Pilot and to take with me two Clerical Officers of my staff
in order to complete formalities and thus to avoid delay and congestion when the
ship arrived at Tilbury.
14. I accordingly boarded the ship at eight o'clock on the evening of Friday,
June 30th, accompanied by two clerks from the Head Office and twelve other persons,
including the Pilots The Medical Superintendent of the P. & 0. Company; two
Immigration Officers 1 P. & 0. staff and travel agency staff to deal with
passengers' baggage. All these persons were either vaccinated before arrival at
Tilbury or exempted from vaccination according to their recent vaccinial history#
(Two had been vaccinated only a few days previously).
15. Throughout the day on Saturday, July 1st, I personally examined the results
of the vaccinations of all passengers. Two boarding Medical Officers, visited
the ship on Saturday afternoon when at anchorage some few miles below Gravesend,
to assist in examining the crew. I found that a certain number of passengers
showed reactions to the vaccination carried out on board which were not entirely
satisfactory and these persons, amounting to a hundred or so, were revaccinated
forthwith with lymph that had been taken on board at Brixham.
16. A further examination of the Asiatic crew and the European members of the
galley staff was made on Sunday, July 2nd, There was no evidence of any
indisposition or rash.
17. A card was madp out for every person on board and no one was allowed to
disembark on arrival at the Landing Stage at Tilbury on Sunday unless they had
givem a definite address to which they were proceeding and sleeping on the day
of disembarkation. There appeared to be no reason for withholding "free pratique'
and consequently 'free pratique, was given before the ship tied up at the Tilbury
Landing Stage .
18. I andmembers of my Clerical Staff left the ship at 11.3Q a.m. on Sunday, July
(10)