NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
52
22. Any person detained under observation or placed
under surveillance who is certified by the Port Health Officer
or by the Medical Officer appointed under Regulation 19 to
be suffering from plague, or from any illness which such
officer suspects may prove to be plague, may be taken to
such hospital or ward or observation camp or other suitable
place as may be appointed for that purpose by the Sanitary
authority of the port or place, and detained there until his
recovery, or for such period, not exceeding ten days, as may
be necessary for ascertaining whether his illness is, or is not,
plague. The said person shall be bound to remain in the
place where he is detained and to follow such instructions
as the Sanitary authority may prescribe.
23. The Port Health Officer shall, in the case of every
vessel certified to be infected or suspected, give directions for
the disinfection of all parts of the vessel which have been
inhabited by plague patients and he may also give such other
directions for the more thorough disinfection of the vessel as
may appear to him to be necessary for preventing the spread
of infection. The master of the said vessel shall forth with
carry into execution all such directions.
24. In the event of any death from plague on board such
vessel while detained under these Regulations the master
shall, as directed by the Sanitary authority, or the Port
Health Officer, either cause the dead body to be taken out
to sea and committed to the deep properly loaded to prevent
its rising, or shall deliver it into the charge of the Sanitary
authority for disposal, if the former procedure be not in
accordance with caste or race customs.
25. The master shall cause to be destroyed any articles
on board his vessel that may have been soiled with plague
discharges and he shall also cause to be disinfected or de-
stroyed the clothing and bedding, and other articles of personal
use likely to retain infection which are on board his vessel
and which have been used by any person who has suffered
from plague on board such vessel, or who, having left such
vessel, shall have suffered from plague during the stay of
such vessel in the port. If the master shall have neglected
to do so or have done so ineffectually before the vessel
arrives in port, he shall forthwith, upon the direction
of the Sanitary authority or the Port Health Officer, cause
the same to be disinfected or destroyed to the satisfaction of
that authority, and in accordance with the instructions as to
disinfection contained in the appendix to these Regulations
53
If the said master neglect to comply with any such direc-
tions within a reasonable time, the Sanitary authority or the
Port Health Officer shall cause the same to be carried into
execution at the expense of the said vessel.
26. Provided facilities exist for obtaining suitable water
in the port, the master shall, on the direction of the Port
Health Officer, cause all tanks in an infected or suspected vessel
to be completely emptied and cleaned and disinfected in such
manner as- the Port Health Officer may direct and fresh
water to be taken in. The Port Health Officer may also, if
he thinks necessary, give like directions in the case of a
healthy vessel. The master of the vessel shall forthwith
carry any such direction into execution.
27. Any mails or cargo which may be brought by any
vessel subject to these Regulations may be landed under such
precautions as the Port Health Officer may deem necessary
to prevent the spread of the disease.
28. It will be the duty of the Port Officer to facilitate
the conveyance to all vessels detained under these Regulations
of such supplies of provisions, stores or other articles as
may be required by those on board. Such supplies will be
placed on the boats of the vessel, to be subsequently removed
by the crew.
29. All expenses incurred by any Sanitary authority in
carrying out these Regulations shall be defrayed from Muni-
cipal or District or Taluk Funds in such proportions as the
District Collector may, subject to the orders of the Local
Government, direct.
30. Any person disobeying or contravening any of the
foregoing Regulations shall be deemed to have committed an
offence punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal
Code, and shall be liable on conviction to be punished with
imprisonment of either description for a term which may
extend to six months or with fine which may extend to one
thousand rupees or with both.
APPENDIX I *
Under-clothing, bedding, wearing apparel, mattresses, carpets, &c.,
which are contaminated or suspected, should be disinfected in stoves at
normal pressure, or at a pressure of from one and-a-half to two degrees,
with or without the, presence of steam.
* Added by G.O., No. 403, Marine, dated 15th June 1898; and Notification No, 68,
Fort St. George Guztte, dated 21st June 1898, Part I, page 578.
54
Before a stove is passed as efficient for the purposes of disinfection,
it should be subjected to a test, with the aid of a signal thermometer,
showing the moment when the temperature in the middle of a mattress
rises to at least 100° (centigrade).
To ensure that the disinfection is effective, this temperature must
be maintained for from 10 to 15 minutes.
Disinfecting solutions—
(a) Solution of corrosive sublimate, of 1 part in 1,000, with the
addition of 10 parts of chloride of soda.
The solution should be coloured with aniline dye or indigo. It
should not be placed in metal vessels.
(b) A 5 per cent. solution of pure crystallized carbolic acid, or
5 per cent. of crude commercial carbolic acid, in a warm solution of soft
soap.
The carbolic solutions will be useful, more particularly for disin-
fecting articles, such as metals, instruments, &c., which can neither be
subjected to a temperature of 100° centigrade, nor placed in contact
with corrosive sublimate. They may also be used at ports not provided
with a disinfecting stove of the prescribed pattern.
55
(G.O., No. 879, Marine, dated 16th October 1897; and Noti-
fication No. 181, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 2nd
November 1897, Part I, pages 1382-1383)
REGULATIONS FOR THE
INSPECTION OF
OUTWARD-BOUND VESSELS UNDER THE
EPIDEMIC DISEASES ACT, 1897.
IN exercise of the powers conferred by Act III of 1897, the
Epidemic Diseases Act, His Excellency the Governor in
Council is pleased to declare that all vessels and persons
leaving the undermentioned ports of the Madras Presi-
dency for Burma and ports out of India direct, shall be
subjected, as a temporary measure, to the Regulations herein-
after contained, and that the duties of Health Officers under
these Regulations shall be discharged by the medical officers
named below, or by such other medical officer as may from
time to time be appointed for the purpose by the Govern-
ment or " Sanitary authority" as defined in the Regulations*
published in the Fort St. George Gazette of the 31st August
1897, the definitions contained in which are applicable to the
regulations herein contained. These Regulations will super-
sede those now in force for the inspection of outward-bound
vessels and which are published in the Fort St. George Gazette
of the 14th September 1897, Part I:—
Ports.
Gropalpur ...
Calingapatam
Baruva
Bimlipatam
Vizagapatam
Cocanada . . .
Masulipatam
Madras
Health Officers.
. . . Civil Apothecary.
Do.
... Hospital Assistant, Sómpéta.
Civil Apothecary.
... District Medical and Sanitary Officer, or,
in his absence, the Assistant Surgeon
of the District.
Civil Surgeon, or, in his absence, the
Assistant Surgeon in charge.
District Medical and Sanitary Officer, or,
in his absence, the Assistant Surgeon
of the District.
. . . Port and Marine Surgeon, and Officer in
subordinate charge of the Port and
Marine Dispensary.
* Printed on pages 46 to 54.
56
Ports.
Cuddalore . . .
Negapatam
Tranquebar
Tuticorin . . .
Pámban
Kilakarai . . .
Calicut
Cochin
Tellioherry ...
Cannanore . . .
Mangalore ...
Health Officers.
... District Medical and Sanitary Officer, or,
in his absence, the Assistant Surgeon
of the District.
Civil Surgeon.
... Civil Apothecary.
Do.
Do,
Hospital Assistant.
. . . District Medical and Sanitary Officer, or,
in his absence, the Assistant Surgeon
of the District.
... Civil Surgeon, or, in his absence, the
Assistant Surgeon in charge.
Do.
do.
do.
Civil Surgeon, or, in his absence, the
Medical Officer in charge of the
Central Jail.
... District Medical and Sanitary Officer, or,
in his absence, the Assistant Surgeon
of the District.
Regulations.
1. No person shall be permitted to embark on board a
vessel within any such port bound direct for any. port in
Ceylon who has within the preceding ten days resided in a
part of India believed by the Health Officer of the port to be
infected with plague. Any port may be declared " infected"
by the Government or by the " Sanitary authority."
2. No deck passenger who appears to the Port Officer to
belong to the labouring classes shall be permitted to embark
on board a vessel at the port of Tuticorin bound for a port
in Ceylon, until he or she has satisfied the Medical Officer of
the Government of that Colony stationed at Tuticorin that
he or she has not within the preceding ten days resided in a
part of India infected by the plague and that he or she is free
from infection with the plague and until the said Colonial
Officer has so certified in respect of such passenger. The
Health Officer of the port of Tuticorin shall not deliver a Bill
of Health in respect of any such vessel, if there be on board
any such passenger in respect of whom the Colonial Officer
has not certified as aforesaid.
3. No vessel shall leave any such port for any port * in
Burma or * out of India direct, until she has been inspected by
the Health Officer of the port, and the master or person in
*—* Added by G.O., No. 414, Marino, dated 23rd May 1898; and Notification
No, 63, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 14th June 1898, Part I, page 549.
57
charge of such vessel has obtained from such officer a Bill of
Health or certificate in the form given below that the officers
and crew of, and also the passengers (if any) by, such vessel
are free from the bubonic plague. (a) Provided that in the case
of passengers a certificate in the form annexed as appendix
I, by a Commissioned Medical Officer appointed for this
purpose, and dated not more than 12 hours before the de-
parture of the vessel, shall be accepted in lieu of examination
by the Port Health Officer. Such certificate shall be an-
nexed to, and form part of, the Bill of Health. (a)
Bill of Health.
* Including
master,
mates, engineers, appren-
tices and private servants
when the latter are not
mentioned in the ship's
articles. (b)
This is to certify that the ship (or steamer)
sailing under the
flag
and under
the command of
as master
of
tons bound for
with a crew of
persons * and
passengers and laden with a cargo of
is at the time of leaving this
port in a satisfactory sanitary condition,
and that no case of bubonic plague exists among her officers,
passengers, or crew, all of whom have been inspected by me.
† Or as the case may be.
It is further certified that the town
and port of
are at present
free † from plague.
Provided that—
(i) (c) all vessels belonging to the Ceylon Government
which may leave ports in the Madras Presidency
with emigrants for Ceylon shall be exempted from
medical inspection.
4. The medical inspection of passengers and other persons
prescribed in these Regulations must be made of each indivi-
dual by day, on shore, at the time of embarkation ; provided
that—
‡ In the case of the
officers and crew of a ves-
sel being brought on shore
for inspection they may
come in batches.
‡ (i) in the case of vessels anchored
in the Madras roadstead (i.e., outside
the enclosed harbour) and at out-ports
the inspection of officers and crew may
be conducted on board ; and
(a)—(a) Added by G.O., No. 512, Marine, dated 17th June 1898 ; and Notification
No. 71, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 28th June 1898, Part I, page 602.
(b) As amended by G.O., No. 412, Marine, dated 23rd May 1898; and Notification
No. 58, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 7th June 1898, Part I, page 515.
(c) As amended by G.O., No. 414, Marine, dated 23rd May 1898; and Notification
No. 63, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 14th June 1898, Part I, page 549.
8
58
(a) (ii) in the case of a vessel starting from Calcutta and
calling at Madras or any other port in the Madras
Presidency on her way to Europe, neither the
crew nor the passengers already on board need be
brought on shore and inspected there. The form
of Bill of Health under this proviso will be as
follows :—
Bill of Health.
This is to certify that no case of bubonic plague exists
among any of the passengers or other persons embarked at
the port of
on board the ship (or steamer)
under the command
of
as master bound
for
* Or as the case may be.
It is further certified that the town
and port of
are at present
free * from plague.
5. Vessels not leaving port before 6 A.M. of the day
following the medical inspection may not leave without
re-inspection and the grant of a fresh Bill of Health.
6. Should the Health Officer of the port be of opinion
that any person on board of any vessel so inspected is suffering
from the bubonic plague or from any illness which he suspects
may prove to be plague, he shall refuse to give a bill of
health as aforesaid unless and until such person together
with his or her attendants and relatives and their baggage
and personal effects have been removed from the vessel and
such parts of the vessel as have been frequented by such
persons shall have been disinfected to the satisfaction of
the Health Officer. Such removal and disinfection shall be
noted on the Bill of Health. The baggage and effects of such
persons as are removed from any vessel under this rule shall
be disinfected on shore in such manner as the Port Health
Officer directs before such baggage and personal effects are
permitted on board any vessel.
7. Should a case of plague be discovered among the persons
about to embark on any vessel, the sick person with his or
her non-professional attendants shall be prevented from em-
barking. The baggage and personal effects of such persons
shall also be detained and disinfected on shore.
8. All persons so removed or prevented from sailing shall
be detained in a plague hospital or place of observation
(a) As amended by G.O., No. 414, Marine, dated 23rd May 1898 ; and Notification
No. 63, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 14th June 1898, Part I, page 549.
59
appointed by the Sanitary authority, as the case may be;
and shall not leave such hospital or place until the Chief
Medical Officer present at the spot shall have certified that
they are free from the infection of the plague.
* Note.—Mail baga are
included in " cargo " tinder
this Regulation.
9. After the master or person in charge of the vessel has
obtained a Bill of Health under the pro-
visions of these Regulations no person
or cargo * or goods of any kind shall be
embarked or disembarked before the vessel leaves the port
unless such vessel is again inspected by the Port Health
Officer and another Bill of Health obtained from such officer
by the master or person in charge of such vessel. If the
necessity of a fresh inspection by the Port Health Officer
under this Regulation arises from any default or act of the
master or agents of the vessel, of which the Port Officer shall
be the sole judge, such fresh inspection shall not take place
until after the payment to the Port Officer by the master or
agents of such vessel of such fee for such inspection, not
being less than five nor more than fifty rupees as the Port
Officer in his sole discretion may order.
† As amended by G.O.,
No. 278, Marine, dated
16th April 1898; and Noti-
fication No. 44, Fort St.
George Gazette, dated 26th
April 1898, Part I, page
343.
10. † No port clearance shall be delivered to any vessel
bound from any such port to any port
in Burma or out of India until the
master or person in charge shall produce
a Bill of Health obtained as aforesaid,
provided that the Customs Officer may
entrust the port clearance to the Port
Health Officer for delivery by him to the master or person in
charge with the Bill of Health if he determines to give one.
11. Any person disobeying or contravening any of the
foregoing Regulations shall be deemed to have committed an
offence punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal
Code and shall be liable on conviction to be punished with
imprisonment of either description for a term which may
extend to six months or with fine which may extend to one
thousand rupees or with both.
APPENDIX I.‡
Certificate.
I do hereby certify that I have examined
who is personally known to mo (or, whose identity has been proved to
‡ Added by G.O., No. 512, Marine, dated 17th June 1898; and Notification No. 71,
Port St. George Gazette, dated 28th June 1898, Part I, page 602.
60
ray satisfaction), a passenger on the ship
not more than twelve hours before the departure of the ship from the
port of
, and find him in good health,
except as noted in the margin, and free from any symptoms of bubonic
plague.
Rank.
Official Designation.
(G.O., No. 283, Marine, dated 18th April 1898; and Notification
No. 37, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 26th April 1898,
Part I, page 340.)
IN exercise of the powers conferred by Act III of 1897
(The Epidemic Diseases Act), His Excellency the Governor in
Council is pleased to declare that the Regulations * for the
inspection of outward-bound vessels, published in the Fort
St. George Gazette of the 2nd November 1897, pages 1382
and 1383, Part I, shall be brought into force in the under-
mentioned ports of the Madras Presidency, with effect- from
such date as may be settled in each case by the "Sanitary
authority," who will also appoint the Medical Officers to
discharge the duties of Port Health Officers at the said ports
under these Regulations : —
Ports.
Name.
Narsapur
Porto Novo
Tirumulavásal
Tópputturai
Point Calimere
Muttupet
Adirámpatnam
Ammápatam
Kóttaipatnam
Tondi
Devipatnam
Hangarakatta
Coondapoor
District.
Gódávari.
South Arcot.
Tanjore.
Madura.
South Canara.
* Printed on pages 55 to 60.
01
PART II.
(G.O., No. 522-M., dated 13th March 1897 ; and Notification
No. 185, Fort St. George Gazette, dated 16th March 1897,
Part I-A., pages 67—71)
RULES UNDER THE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITIES
ACT, 1884, FOR COMBATING PLAGUE IN MUNI-
CIPALITIES.
UNDER Section 250 (1) (m) of Act IV of 1884, His Excellency
the Governor in Council is pleased to make the follow-
ing rules for combating bubonic plague in municipalities.
These rules shall come into force three months after their
first publication in the District Gazettes in English and in
the Vernacular language of the district:—
Rules for combating Bubonic Plague (" Mahammari ")
in Municipalities.
NOTE.
The following is a description of the disease known as
bubonic plague :—
(a) After date of acquiring infection a period of a few
hours to three or, in exceptional cases, even ten days may
elapse. There occurs a gradually increasing feeling of lassi-
tude, the colour of the skin may change till a yellowish tint
is acquired; at times there is much restlessness and drowsi-
ness ; frontal head-ache of a severe character, attended with
darting pains in the back, loins and abdomen, are frequent.
High fever is ushered in with shivering and after two or
three days of usually continuous fever, glandular swellings
may appear in the groins, arm-pits, or neck, or in all three
positions. On appearance of the swellings the fever may
diminish slightly. The disease may then abate, accompanied
by disappearance of the swellings or their breaking down by
suppuration. But if the disease continues, the patient may
vomit blood, and blood may be discharged from the nose, the
mouth, the bowels, and mixed with urine; the swellings may
become gangrenous and haemorrhage may occur from their
sites; death may be ushered in by convulsions, delirium,
insensibility, &c.
62
(b) The prime cause of the disease is believed to be a
microbe found in the blood and especially in the neighbour-
hood of the enlarged glands. Its mode of dissemination has
not been fully ascertained, but there is good reason to believe
its propagation is favoured by foul soil, and that not only
the bloody discharges, but the excretions, more especially
the faecal, demand special care as to disinfection. The rela-
tion of infection to water is open to doubt, but certain facts
have been observed that point to this being a possible
medium. The clinging of the infective agent to clothing and
rooms is more certain. Foul soil, crowded and narrow
streets, and badly-ventilated dwellings are specially favouring
causes. Rats, snakes and cats being liable to infection may
act as conveyers of the disease.
(c) It is the object of these rules, therefore, to ensure
(1) that the earliest possible information of every attack of
plague should be conveyed to the authorities, so that the
plague microbes may be at once prevented from being con-
veyed into situations in which they might spread the infec-
tion ; (2) that the microbes should be at once completely
destroyed; and (3) that medical assistance may be provided
for those who, in spite of precautions, are attacked by the
disease. They accordingly follow these three divisions.
RULES.*
1. These rules shall be applicable to all municipalities in
the Madras Presidency except Madras town.
2. Municipal councils shall be responsible for the general
carrying out of the scheme, and District Medical and Sanitary
Officers for the necessary medical arrangements both in their
head-quarters and elsewhere, except in municipalities where
there are Civil Surgeons. In these, the Civil Surgeons shall
be responsible. The preventive staff referred to in Rule 12
shall be under the Medical Officer designated by the District
Medical and Sanitary Officer or the Civil Surgeon, as the case
may be, to carry out the necessary arrangements, or, in the
absence of such designation, under the Senior Medical Officer
on the spot, while the observation staff mentioned in Rule 6
shall be directly under the Chairman.
3. For the purpose of these rules, every municipality to
which they apply shall be divided into " circles," which
should, as far as possible, follow ward divisions so that they
* " These rules are ancillary to the Regulations issued under the Epidemic Diseases
Act III of 1897, and must be read subject to the Regulations." (G.O., No. 522-M.,
dated 13th March 1897, para. 2.)