353
serious loss
-
a loss to which they object the more no doubt as it is inflicted only on ocean-going steamers whilst river boats, launches, and junks which they consider more likely to introduce disease are, from the impossibility and uselessness of the method, allowed to go free.
The idea of applying the article in the Venice Convention, which refers to the address and name of each passenger being given to the Health Officer - an important condition no doubt in Europe - needs only to be considered for a moment for the impossibility of carrying it out to be at once apparent. We have, I believe, some 2,000 coolies entering this port daily of all and every dialect, and even if they all knew where they were going, the staff of interpreters necessary to deal with this would be enormous and the delay to the Steamers very great. As a matter of fact, they could not give either number or street as they are taken charge of by the boarding house runners who take them on shore and send them on their way if they are merely passing through.
It seems to me that the advocates of quarantine have hitherto been quite satisfied if a Steamer is in port occasionally with a yellow flag flying, which tends to show that the matter has never really been considered from a practical or scientific point of view. Until recently, there has been no attempt at disinfecting passengers' clothes and luggage - about the most important point in the whole of quarantine, for a patient who has not actually the disease on him is not infective, whereas his clothes may be and probably most often are the disseminators of the disease - and no attempt at establishing an isolation bulk for disembarking passengers for observation, or for cleaning the ship in which they have travelled. This matter is now on a proper footing, and I only claim credit for it to add force to my arguments against the system of "inspection quarantine".
For the above reasons, after 14 years' experience
+
of the Colony, 9 of which were spent as Deputy Health Officer of the Port (though in my time the title and position were not recognised), I have no hesitation in advising that all quarantine of inspection should be abolished in Hongkong by His Excellency, as it is useless and vexatious to the shipping. If any infectious disease is prevalent in a port, instructions should be issued to the Captains of vessels to be especially careful with reference to any sickness or death on board; and only those ships with a death or sickness on board, and who have no Surgeon to vouch for the diagnosis, should go into quarantine - the others entering in the usual way and landing their cargo and passengers without waiting for anybody.
If quarantine of this kind only were in force here, I am sure it would be recognised by everyone as absolutely necessary, and no one could object to the actual detention of a Steamer with actual disease on board for disinfection purposes, or for making sure of the diagnosis. There must occasionally be cases of doubt, and it is only reasonable that the Port Health Officer should detain the ship until the Principal Civil Medical Officer, or some other...
353
serious loss
-
a loss to which they object the more no doubt as it is inflicted only on ocean going steamers whilst river boats, launches, and junks which they consider more likely to introduce disease are from the impossibilityand uselessness of the method allowed to go free.
The idea of applying the article in the Venice Convention which refers to the address and name of each passenger being given to the Health Officer an important condition no doubt in Europe needs only to be considered for a moment for the impossibility of carrying it out to be at once apparent, Re have, I believe, some 2,000 coolies entering this port daily of all and every dialect and even if they all knew where they were going the staff of interpreters necessary to deal with this would be enormous and the delay to the Steamers very great. As a matter of fact they could not give either number or street as they are taken charge of by the boarding house runners who take thew on shore and send them on their way if they are merely passing through.
It seems to me that the advocates of quarantine bave hitherto been quite satisfied if a Steamer is in port occasionally with a yellow flag flying which tends to show that the matter has never really been considered from a practical or scientific point of view. Until recently there has been no attempt at disinfecting passengers' clothes and luggage_about the most important point in the whole of quarantine, for a patient who has not actually the disease on bin is not infective whereas his clothes may be and probably most often are the disseminators of the disease and no attempt at establishing an isolation bulk for disembarking passengers for observation or: for cleaning the ship in which they have travelled. This matter is now on a proper footing and I only claim credit for it to add force to my arguments against the system of "inspection quarantine".-
For the above reasons, after 14 years experience
+
of the Colony, 9 of which were spent as Deputy Health Officer of the Port (though in my time the title and position were not recognised) I have no hesitation in advising that all quarantine of inspection should be abolished in Hongkong by His Excellency as it is useless and vexatious to the shipping. If any infectious disease is prevalent io a port instructions should be issued to the Captains of vessels to be especially careful with reference to any sickness or death on board, and only those ships with a death or sickness on board and who have no Surgeon to vouch for the diagnosis, should go into quarantine the others entering in the usual way and landing their cargo and passengers without waiting for any-body.
If quarantine of this kind only were in force here I am sure it would be recognised by everyone as absolutely necessary and no one could object to the actual detention of a Steamer with actual disease on board for disinfection purposes or for saking sure of the diagnosis. There must occasionally be cases of doubt and it is only reasonable that the Port Health Officer should detain the ship until the Principal Civil Medical Officer or some
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