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SMALLPOX IN BRITTANY
In January, 1955 a notification was received from the Ministry of Health that the French
Government had informed our Ministry of the existance of smallpox at the Port of Vannes in the
Morbihan Department of Brittany. This is an "excepted area" under the Public Health (Ships)
Regulations, 1952 and ships coming from there would normally be free under the Regulations from
the requirement of medical quarantine clearance, before granting pratique.
Arrangements were therefore made immediately with the Waterguard Superintendent of H.M.
Customs that pratique should be withheld on all vessels coming from the Port of Vannes until
they had been inspected by the Boarding Medical Officers at Gravesend.
The position was also notified to the Medical Officers of Health of the principal Riparian
Authorities concerned within the Port of London, namely Bermondsey, Deptford, Greenwich,
Poplar, Stepney, Southwark and the City of London, because most of these vessels tie up alongside
the River wharves without entering the docks.
Subsequently a note published in the Ministry of Health Weekly Bulletin for the 14th January,
reported a Paris Press account of the spread of smallpox from the Department of Morbihan to four
other Departments in Brittany, and stated that there were then forty cases, including four deaths.
Although this was only a Press report and not an official notification from the French Government
it was deemed wise to arrange with the Waterguard Superintendent that free pratique should be
withheld from all vessels coming from any port in Brittany until they had been inspected and
cleared by one of the Boarding Medical Officers at Gravesend.
A further bulletin from the Ministry of Health dated 21st January, read as follows
"In a message dated the 14th January, 1955, from the French Ministry of Public Health and
Population, the number of cases of smallpox in the Vannes area is given as 44 of whom 5 have
died. (Later Press reports gave the number as 6)."
"Contacts have been placed under strict surveillance and a programme of mass vaccination
has been carried out in the region. The additional cases appear to have occurred in direct
contacts of previous cases reported."
A detailed medical examination was carried out by the Boarding Medical Officers of all vessels
arriving from Brittany until July when the Ministry reported that the epidemic was at an end. No
case or suspected case of smallpox was discovered.
s.s. "STRATIIMORE" - SUSPECTED SMALLPOX
On the 17th February, Dr. I. J. Corbett, the Medical Superintendent of the Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company, reported the receipt of the following signal from the s.s.
"Strathmore" —
"Doubtful chickenpox — Joao Mascarhinas, Scullion,
Specimens landed Gibraltar 6.0 a.m. 17th February
for air mail."
It subsequently transpired that the vessel would not be calling at Brixham but would proceed
direct to Gravesend, the expected time of arrival being 10.0 — 10.30 a.m., on Sunday, 20th
F ebruary.
In view of this, arrangements were made for the Shipping Company to send a signal to the
vessel instructing the Surgeon to carry out full vaccination or re-vaccination of the personnel,
for the Purser to check the addresses of the passengers and prepare at least three copies of this
list and also for arrangements to be made for the vessel to drop anchor in Higham Bight, which is
the mooring station designated under the Public Health (Ships) Regulations, 1952, and a gangway
rigged ready to take on board a smallpox consultant and the Port Health Staff.
Dr. J. Pickford Marsden, a smallpox consultant, in addition to agreeing to board the vessel at
Gravesend and examine the patient also arranged for him to be admitted, if necessary, to Long
Reach Smallpox Hospital, Dartford.
It was considered best to admit the patient via the Port Isolation Hospital at Denton, where
there is a private pier, and thence by ambulance to Long Reach Hospital.
To this end and in order to avoid risk to others, Denton Hospital reduced its 11 patients to 2
as quickly as possible and the 2 patients remaining were vaccinated as were also the entire
hospital nursing and domestic staff.
In addition the Immigration and Customs Officers who were to board the ship on arrival—some 30
in all — were also vaccinated as were the Port Health staff, launch crews and Medical Officers.
Arrangements were also made through the London County Council for a smallpox ambulance to
proceed to Denton Hospital arriving at 10.0 a.m., on Sunday morning there to await the arrival of
the patient and convey him direct to Long Reach Hospital which had recently been re-opened as a
smallpox hospital for the Region.
On the 18th February information was received that the Complement Fixation Test of the
specimens submitted from Gibraltar to the Virus Laboratory at Colindale were negative to
smallpox but that the Egg Culture Test would not be available until between 9 — 10.0 a.m., on
Sunday, 20th February — about the time of the ship's arrival.
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