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circumstances only. If the passage have lasted at least seven days, without there having been any suspicions case on board, the detention must be for one day only (24 hours), in other cases it may be from three to seven days, according to circumstances. In these cases, if the hygienic conditions of the vessel permit, this quarantine of observation may be performed on board, and no unloading of the vessel is required. If, however, there have been during the passage, or are found on the arrival of the ship, any cases of cholera or suspected cholera, the persons who are well are to be immediately removed and isolated in a lazaret or other place provided for the purpose, and there detained for seven full days from the date of their isolation. The sick are to be disalurked and cared for in an isolated locality, which must be quite separate from that destined for the persons under observation. After these removals, the ship itself, and all susceptible goods are to be rigorously disinfectel. The persons who had necessarily remained on board are then to be the subjects of seven days' isolation and observation. In the case of ships coming from ports which are merely suspectel, the duration of the quarantine of observation is not to exceed five days.
5. Ships loaded with emigrants or pilgrims, or which may be judged of especial danger to the public health, may be the subject of special pre- cautions to be determined by the sanitary authority of the port of arrival. 6. Ships arriving at ports where there exist no efficient menus of carrying out the above measures of quarantine are to receive all temporary succour that may be needed, but to be directed to the nearest port at which there is a proper establishment.
7. A ship starting from an infected port, but touching at an inter- mediate part, and there receiving free pratique without having performed quarantine, is to be regarded as coming from an infected port.
8. In all cases of mere suspicion, measures of disinfection may be em- ployed when the sanitary authority thinks fit, but are not to be obligatory. 9. In any port in which cholem is already epidemic, measures of quarantine are inapplicable, and measures of disinfection should alone be practised.
The Conference added the following resolution, applicable alike whether the system of medical inspection or that of quarantine were the one adopted :--
The Captain, Medical Officer, and other Officers of ships are bound to furnish the sanitary authority of the port of arrival with every information as to any appearance or suspected appearance of disease among the crew and passengers. In case of false declaration, or of wilful concealment, they are liable to the penalties imposed by the sanitary laws of the respective countries. Au international understanding on this subject would be most desirable.
The Conference also decided, in answer to question 22 of the Pro- gramme, that the modes of disinfection to be employed should be left to the competent authoritics of each State.
And, at the suggestion of the delegates of Turkey, it expressed formally its desire that a penal law against sauitury offences might be promulgated in the Ottoman Empire.
C-River Quarantine.
The Conference now returned to questions 13 and 14 of the Pro- gramme, which related to river quarantines. But the principles on which these questions were to be determined had been already all but completely discussed. It was obvious, for example, that to those parts of rivers which, whether situated exactly at their mouth or not, were really seaports, as London, Liverpool, Antwerp, the measures
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decided on by each country as applicable to maritime quarantine exactly applied. It was equally obvious that all reasons which had been urged Abstract of against restriction of communications by land must equally apply to Proceedings. rivers in their inland course. The present discussion therefore was limited almost entirely to exceptional circumstances affecting one river only, the Danube. It was with reference to this river that the second paragraph of the following conclusions, which were the conclusions of the Conference on this subject, was adopted :---
"All the reasons which have been advanced to show that land quarantines are impracticable and useless in preventing the propagation of cholera are equally valid against quarantines in the course of rivers.
Still the measures recommended in the system of medical inspection approved by the Conference may be applied to ships having cholera on board.
"Ports at the mouths of rivers enter into the category of sea ports, and are to be so dealt with."
III-THE INTERNATIONAL SANITARY COMMISSION.
The questions 23-26 in the Programme, which related to the institution of an International Commission for the purpose of opposing the spread of epidemics (à combattre les epidémies) had, as already stated, been referred in the first instance to a Committee; and, on the Committee's Report, the subject now came before the Conference for consideration. Two sittings were devoted to the discussion, which resulted in a very general, indeed almost unanimous, accord. The conclusions arrived at are given in extenso iu Aunex III. First, there was a universal recog- nition of the advantages which might be derived form the establishment of an International Commission for the further investigation of cholera and other epidemic diseases; but there was also almost complete unani- mity of opinion that such Commission should be of a purely scientific character, without any administrative functions whatever. Further, it was agreed that such Commission might be consulted, by any of the Governments concerned, in regard to scientific questions, but in regard to such only. Its principal subject was to be the etiology and the prophy- laxy of cholera; but it was to include the study of other epidemics also, It was yellow fever and plague being particularly contemplated, proposed that the Commission should prepare a
progamme of scientific observation and research into the etiology and prophylaxy of these several epidemics, which should be carried uniform plan by the several States; that it should publish the results of its work; and should have the faculty of proposing the convocation of international sanitary conferences. Secondly, it was proposed that the Commission should consist of medical men, delegated by the respective Governments assenting to the proposal, and should hold its sittings from time to time; but that there should be a central bureau, appointed and composed as the Commission itself should deter- mine, always open. The Governments participating were to see, through their several sanitary authorities, that the international commission was supplied with all information relating to the subjects it had under investigation. Thirdly, the investigations in each country were to be of course undertaken by the sanitary authorities of the respective countries; but in any countries in which there was no organised sanitary service, the investigation might be undertaken by the international commission itself, with the consent of the Government concerned, either by means of physicians resident at fixed sanitary posts, or by temporary missions of inquiry; these in any case receiving their instructions direct from, and
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