11
13 Medical Students.
1 Lady Doctor.
1 Lady Nurse.
1 Lady Medical Student.
Owing to the heavy strain on the Medical Department in connection with
Plague and Famine a sufficient supply of trained medical subordinates could not
be obtained, and it became necessary to engage the most experienced medical
students available, and their services were utilised at the bandars to take
temperature observations, and at the anchorages, aided and supervised by
Assistant Surgeons, to carry out the inspections.
25. The complicated arrangements necessary in connection with the
Outward inspections have already been alluded to. The difficulties to be
surmounted in the case of the Inward System were in some ways even more
marked. The heavy arrivals of April and May, 106,272 and 123,812 respec-
tively, were carried in 8,494 vessels, each of which had to be inspected ; there
was no certainty as to time of arrival ; and the disembarkations were spread
over a large area. It will readily be understood that the conditions created
difficulty and complications.
The ordinary representative of public opinion who could not understand
why the Plague Committee had hesitated before finally deciding to enforce a
medical inspection of arrivals by sea from infected ports was probably ignorant
of the difficulties to be surmounted. As he enjoyed his usual meals he was
doubtless unaware that a special arrangement, by which inspections were made
in the harbour and several miles from shore between 12 midnight and early
morning, was necessary in order that he might get his fruit and vegetables, and
that to enable him to obtain his little luxuries overworked medical men had to
toil at night.
The complex arrangements necessary to ensure that the across-harbour
supplies such as fruit, vegetables, hay and firewood were not delayed, could only
have been recognised by the general public had a break down in the organiza-
tion drawn attention to the fact that to be deprived of certain necessaries of life
is unpleasant and inconvenient.
26. The success of the scheme, the comparative silence which marked the
working of a system under which in April and May over 229,000 persons were
strictly and individually examined and 3,494 sent to observation camp and fed
there, could only have been ensured by the rapidity and completeness which the
demands and suggestions of the Port Health authorities were complied with by
the Plague Committee. Under the tireless activity of General Gatacre, Mr. C.
James and Dr. Dimmock, in an almost incredibly short space of time, ambulances
of the most improved type were supplied, Plague observation camps were
opened, apparently insuperable difficulties were surmounted, and an inspection
system was working smoothly which dealt with the masses of people shown in
the following Table No. Ill :—
TABLE No. III.
Months.
April ...
May ..
June ..
July ..
Total..
NUMBER OF VESSELS
INSPECTED.
228
194
104
89
615
3,266
4,806
1,474
9*3
10,489
3,494
5,000
1,578
1,032
11,104
NUMBER or PERSONS INSPECTED.
Passengers.
70,104
73,661
16,403
9,152
169,320
11,150
12,258
2,881
27,262
Grew.
6,522
6,907
3,955
,"8
20,612
18,496
30,986
9,966
65,965
Total.
81,254
85,919
1 9,284
196,582
25,018
37,893
13,921
y,745
86,577
106,27
123,812
33,20
19,87C
283,15
NUMBER οι· PBBSONS
SEGREGATED.
Passen-
gers.
447
3,047
1,341
489
5,324
Crew.
...
...
...
...
Total.
447
3,047
1,341
489
5,324
·.·
...
...
447
3,047
1,341
489
5,324