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An urgent request was also made for accurate passenger lists with
destinations, including all passengers landing at Marseilles, to be prepared in
quadruplicate and the Marseilles list to be airmailed in advance.
As -will be seen later, these requests were dealt with with some
modifications to suit the circumstances prevailing.
Voyage Itinerary.
lie ft Sydney 31. 3.51
" Melbourne 1.4.51
" Fremantle 5.4.51
" Colombo 14.4.51
" Bombay 17.4.51
" Aden * 22.4.51
" Port Said 27.4.51
" Marseilles 2.5.51
Arr. London 8.5.51
The patient, a man aged 18 years, left Calcutta by rail on 15.4.51, and
joined the "Ranchi" at Bombay on 17.4.51.
On 24.4.51 he appeared as an out-patient at the Ship's Surgery with a
"cold", had a temperature of 98.6° and was given a linctus. He ms not seen again
until 27.4.51 - three days later - in the morning some nine hours after the vessel
had left Port Said, when he presented the following symptoms:-
T.101° P.102s R.24., a marked maculo papular rash on his face,
trunk, wrists and soles of his feet, and very few lesions on
arms and legs.
By the evening his temperature had risen to 104° P. 120.R.25 and the
rash ms more prominent and vesicles were appearing.
On 28.4.51 he exhibited palpable papular eruptions on the soles of his
feet and palms of his hands.
In consultation with Dr.B...... a passenger, the ship's surgeon decided
that the case ms one of Variola Minor or Variola modified by vaccination. This
conclusion ms reached on 27.4.51, and the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co,
ms notified by wireless.
Precautions taken by the Ship's Surgeon.
Immediate isolation of patient in ship's hospital on 27.4.51.
Vaccination or re-vaccination of all passengers and European crew, plus
close contact Asian crew, on 27=28.4.51., except those who could show scars
of vaccination within one month.
The Asian crew were not vaccinated until arrival at Marseilles owing to
shortage of calf lymph. As the Company's rules for vaccination of Asian crews
are strict it ms deemed that the Asian crew were less at risk than the passengers
and European crew. The Goanese bedroom stemrd ms vaccinated at once in view of
his being a close contact.
The cabin ms evacuated by the remaining seven inmates and fumigated
with SO2 candles on 27.4.51, but owing to the crowded state of the ship they had to
re-occupy the cabin by nightfall as the only alternative ms to spread these seven
contacts in ones and twos throughout the ship. Nevertheless, the SO2 fumigation
would appear to have been good as regards quantity used and length of exposure
1-lb. per 1,000 cubic feet for eight hours.
The patient's mattress ms removed after S02 fumigation to the isolation
hospital and his pillowss towels and bed linen were destroyed at once.
By a curious mischance a routine change of bed linen on the deck
concerned had been made on the 26th April and sent to the ship's laundry and mshed
before the diagnosis had been made. On the instructions of the Captain this linen
ms re-laundered to ensure sterilization as far as possible.
On arrival at Marseilles the diagnosis ms concurred in by the Port Medical
Officer and the patient removed to l'Hospital de la Conception on 1st May, 1951,
after scrapings and other material had been taken and sent to England by Air-Mail.
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