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LOCAL GOVI BOARD
Enclos85
The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, August 20th, 1897.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD,
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held at the offices yesterday afternoon. Dr. Atkin. son (Principal Civil Medical Officer) presided und there were also present-Hon. F. H. May, (Captain Superintendent of Police), Hon. W. Chatham (Acting Director of Public Works), Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), and Mr. H. McCallum (Secretary).
MINUTEE
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
THE MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SHIPPING AND THE VENICE PLAGUE CONFERENCE. Further papers relating to the proposal to institute a systematic medical inspection of vessels arriving in the harbour were laid on the table. Following upon the report of the Com- mittee of the Chisaber of Commerce (which was given in the Daily Press of July 21st) the Medical Officer of Health wrote the following minute:-- The fact that a few persons may cross the frontier or land at Aberdeen or Stanley is no more an argument against medical inspection of the shipping entering this harbour than is the fact that criminals occasionally escape the consequences of their crimes an argument against the maintenance of a police force. The Chamber of Commerce admits the desir- ability of medical inspection of vessels arriving from infected ports, but overlooks the fact well known to the Government--that it is im- possible to obtain the necessary staff in such emergencies and that if we have not permanent men trained in this work we cannot cope with auy extra work without auriens delay. Another point of great importance is that we are prac tically at all times in communication with some infected ports, and if we do not have a general i medical inspection of the shipping the Govern- ! ment is compelled to officially declare such ports "infected" before such medical inspection can be suforced. Hitherto the Government of this colony has, in the interests of the shipping community, refrained as far as possible froin rosorting to such official declarations in con- sequence of the effect it has upon the authori ties of the weightening poe whet often follow suit by imposing a lengthy quarantine; In future, however, this course will. I hope, not be followed, for if the shipping authorities object to a properly organised. general inspection the Government should
certainly not hesitate to insist upon a medical inpection of all vessels from infected or suspected ports, and as they can as yet only do se by declaring quarantine against such ports this should be resorted to without delay. A very exaggerated idow sceras to exist in the minds of the members of the sub-Committee of the Chamber of Commerce in reference to the expense of this scheme. I wonder what the cost to the shipping and to the colony generally would have been if any ons of those fifty coolies who were landed on the s.s. Cheang Hol Kian, in November of last year had found his way to one of the water reservoirs or filter beds while auffering from cholera. This ship had no less than 14 deaths on her voyage from Singapore to this port, ten of which occurred within 24 hours of her arrival here, and yet the rest of them were allowed to land and disperse themselvesjorer the colony. I venture to think that if the scheme of medical inspection of sil shipping had been in force at that time this colony would not have been exposed to such an awful danger as that which threatened as then--a danger which can only be fully realized by those who know the true explanation of the outbreak of cholera in Hamburg in 1893.
Smallpox
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19 JAN 1399,
Suatipox, again, is constantlyọing loftyhose into this colony from Japan and film otro ports, and leads to sickness and deaths anton the European community, and, in fact, as I pointed out in my annual report for 1896, more than 50 per cent of our cases of in- fectious disease (exclusive of bubonic plague) are imported and the danger to the co- manity would thus by medical inspection be practically reduced to one-half of its present! proportions. I suggest that tae papers relating to the Sanitary Conference at Venice be at- tached to these so that they may be considered together.
In reference to the report of the Venice Plague Conforence, the Medical Officer of Health wrote:The attached report suggests to me the following course of action is most suit- able for this port. (1). All vessels, whether "healtby," 'suspected," or "infected" arriving from an infected port, to proceed at once to the quarantine anchorage for medical inspection in accordance with cur existing quarantine regulations and to he granted free pratique as soon as (1) the sick, if any, bave been rumored to hospital) the ressel disinfected, if necessary, and (3) the passengers and erew have complied with the following requirements, namely, (a) All Euro- peans, Americans, and Australians desiring to land mast give to the boarding medical officer their names and the addresses at which they intend to reside, and they will be subjected to to medical surveillance" for a period of five! days if the port of departure is infected with cholera, ten days if with plague, and fifteen day if with smallpox, from the date of leaving the ship, if way oases of huboule plagno have occurred thereon during the voyage, or from the date of leaving the infected part if the ship has been free from such sickness since the departure therefrom. Should any such person desire to reside at any other address than that given by him to the boarding medical officer, within the said period of ten days, be must first communicate the new address to the Medical Officer of Health of the colony. (B). All Asiatics and Africans minst similarly furnish their names and addresses of destination and will be subjected to medical surveillance for a Uke period, but each one must in addition furnish a reliable surety resident in the colony, who shall guarantee in writing to the extent of $50 that such person shall continue to resid at the address giren by him, for a period of | not less than ten days. In the event of such surely not being forthcoming for any such per son brought into the harbour from an infected port the vessel will not be granted pratique. All Asiatic and African passengers arriving | from an infected port, en route for some further port, unist, be detained on board ship, and the master of any vessel allowing any such person who has not farnished the boarding medical olheer with his name and address of destination and the necessary surety to land, shall be deemed to have committed a breach of the Quarantine Hegulations. I suggest that these additional regulations be forwanded by the Sanitary Board for the approval of the Governor in Council and for their incorporation in the Quarantine Regulations of this colony, and I also suggest that the Board advise the! Government of this colony to become a party to this Convention.
Dr. Jordan furnished the following report to the Principal Civil Modical Officer of fealth re the Venice Plague Conference and medical inspection of shipping in Hongkong :—
Health Officer's Office.
12th August, 1897.
Sir. Having studied carefully all the papers in connection with the above questions, I have ́now the honour to subalt my report therom and its applicability to the port of Vitor, Hongkong.
The subject will be best pat forward (two beadings—(1) the application of the the Venice Plague Conferendo to Ho
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and (2)
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