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Mr. KESWICK-I suppose, you consider it absolutely necessary under any circumstances that the steamer with passengers suffering from small-pox or cholera should be treated in some way. You would not allow the vessel which had been infected by these diseases to take any other persons on board or discharge such passengers as were bound for here, and then proceed say to Swatow? Would you not consider it absolutely necessary that something should be done?
Dr. TURNBULL-Certainly everything possible ought to be done to disinfect the ship itself and the parts which the passengers who were ill had occupied.
Dr. JORDAN-Thirty six hours is generally the maximum time now taken to do that sometimes it is less than 24 hours.
The Chairman-Your opinion is that the ship should only be detained the length of time it takes to properly disinfect her?
Dr. TURNBULL-Yes; that would apply more strictly to small-pox than to cholera.
The Chairman-How would you deal with the crew of an infected vessel? The ship of course cannot be left without someone on her.
Dr. TURNBULL-I have already said that I do not attach much importance to quarantine in the case of cholera, but in the case of small-pox I would urge vaccination and re-vaccination of the crew in their own interests. You could not detain them for eighteen days.
The Chairman-On the Orontes the other day I believe the blue jackets and officers were allowed to land, whilst the soldiers were kept in quarantine?
Dr. TURNBULL-As regards men entering the naval service they are all vaccinated and re-vaccinated at proper intervals. They are all known to possess the protection of vaccination and re-vaccination.
The Chairman-Therefore you consider there can be nothing objectionable for them to land?
Dr. TURNBULL-No, not as regards the naval men. I cannot speak of the regulations among the troops.
Dr. TURNBULL, then withdrew.
The Chairman-I think we should hear Dr. AYRES' opinion if he will give us his views.
The Colonial Surgeon-My opinion as regards the treatment of vessels arriving with cholera or small-pox on board is briefly this. I should move the case from the ship, disinfect or destroy all the clothing that belonged to him and disinfect that part of the ship where the case had been located-and the ship generally as far as could be done. A difficulty in connection with that is that there is no place to put the passengers temporarily. There is no possibility of turning out the ship, of course, repainting and disinfecting her if there are any people on board. In the case of putting the passengers on shore at any rate as regards the Chinese it would require a very large guard' to look after them. As far as small-pox is concerned re-vaccination is the only scheme of prevention worth thinking about, and that could be done on board ship.-In the case of cholera twenty-four hours detention ought to be quite enough. As a matter of fact we have never been able to connect any cholera case with another.
Q.-It is your opinion that a ship coming from a cholerised port ought not to be quarantined?
A.-If she was forty-eight hours from that port and no sickness occurred on
board.
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