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amongst those whose landing is prohibited. (No.6.)
I replied to him, as may be seen from No.7, that he should keep a close watch over the second-class passengers affected with trachoma, and that he should suggest to them the advisability of their entering the barracks, where they could be isolated, but without compelling them to do so, and that their destinations should be ascertained. On the other hand, I instructed him that all trachomatous immigrants in whom the existence of the disease had been fully confirmed were to be returned on board.
Notwithstanding the very categorical answer from the Delegate contained in his telegram No.6, I again instructed him on the 21st of May to continue visiting the immigrants so long as the vessel remained in Port, so that the landing of all those in whose cases the existence of trachoma had not been confirmed, should be permitted, as may be seen from the copy of No.8.
In proof of the care that is exercised in respect to all matters relating to immigrants, I invite your attention to telegram No.11, in which the Delegate informs me that he had carried out a fresh visit of inspection on board the "Suisang" and had found trachoma to be well developed in all the cases previously noted, some of them being very serious, and that he had further found two cases of mumps (an infectious disease) amongst the passengers. The Delegate attempted to procure the isolation of the patients affected with mumps on board the vessel itself, but the ship's doctor informed him that there was no place on board suitable for the purpose. When the Delegate re-visited the barracks he found that 10 cases of trachoma had developed themselves amongst the immigrants who had been placed under observation, and 7 others were suffering from the mumps, these latter being at once isolated in the barracks and the quarters they had occupied being disinfected. He ultimately suggested the prolongation of the period of quarantine which, according to existing regulations consists of ten days, in order to prevent the spread of infection from the mumps.
Seeing, however, that such action was not warranted by the special instructions of the Ministry of the Interior; I answered him that as the regulations in force did not admit
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