Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-14
EVILS OF QUARANTINE.
SAVANNAH SEEKING A BETTER
QUARANTINE SYSTEM.


The Long Detention OF Vessels a Hin
ORANGE to Commerce aud a Detriment
to the Interests Of the Port--The Geor-
cfa Medical Society to submit - Plan
fora New system Based upon the Prin-
eiples OF Maritime sanitation
The committee Of the Board Of Trade
appointed on Friday to consider certain
quarantine matters met last night. Facts
and details were submitted 10 show that
the detention and charges OF the present
system Of this port are severe, and tnat
in other cities a more satisfactory sys-
TEN has been adopted. The committee
united in a request to the Georgia Meal-
cal Society that it will submit plan by
which the desired object Of shorter quar-
antine detention may be attained without
prejudice to the public health.
For the last nineteen years Boston has
practiced the system requiring vessels
coming from certain ports to be IN
spected at all times OF Jhe year.
The ordinary inspection OF vessels
lasts ten minutes. Cleansing, Iuml-
eating. vacciratlng, ETC., taxes from
few hours to two days. BOstOn's object
has been 20 hinder trade as little as pos
sibIe. and the health officer OF that city is
authority for the statement that no fault
has been found. Vessels are quickly
cleansed IL suspected, and are allowed to
go on up to the city, discharge their car
goes and reload. Sick or Infected pas
sengers or sailors are detained, but the
vessel is allowed to go. The cost TO the
city is $4,000 year. For the inspection
of schooners and briggs S. is charged, So
for barks, steamers and ships, and 25c.
for each vaccination. The charge for
disinfscting vessels is from $40 to $40.
At Baltimore vessels are detained no
longer than is necessary to cleanse and |
fumigate them and to disInfect the cargo |
and baggage. The sick are sent to the |
quarantine hospital. The health officer |
OF Baltimore, in a communication pre- |
sented TO the committee, declared that the |
quarantine of detention is "folly" and is |
not praeticed there. BaltimOre's quaran-
tine system costs her $4,000 year.
Until very recently New Orleans prac- !
ticed the system of quarantine detention /
the same as is practieed at this port. The |
health authorities OF that city, however, |
came TO the conclusion that a thorough |
system Of city sanitation has more 10 do
with preventing epidemies than long de-
tentiOns OF vessels at quarantine. Yes
sells arriving at New Orleans between
May I and Nov. l are divided into |
four classes. Vessels coming from nom
infected ports are OF the first class and
are subjected to thorough maritime
sanitation at the upper quarantine sta
ti0n without, however, more tnan the
very shortest detention to vessels and per-
sons. Vessels from suspected ports are
treated as vessels Of the first-class, with
the detention of persons only five days
from the hour of starting from the sus-
pected port. Vessels from Infected ports
are thoroughly cleansed and the persons
on board are detained for seven days from
the hour of leaving the infected port.
Suspected vessels with contagious or in
fictitious diseases on board, or that have
had deaths from Infectious disease on
board during the voyage, are sent TO the
lower quarantine station to undergo such
detention as the Board OF Health may
direct. New Orleans found that the
quarantine Of detention did not prevent
the introduction of yellow fever into the |
city until measures for the sanitation of |
the city were carried into effect
The object of SaVannah's Board of |
Trade is TO do away with the long quar-
antiDe of vessels that are not actually
infected, and to shorten the detention of
infected vessels. 1t is sought to intro
duce here the spedier and improved
methods of cleansing and dIslnfecting
ships and cargOes practiced at other
ports.
Under the present quarantine regula-
tons OF this port vessels from suspected |
ATTITUDES are required to be detained at
least 10 days. Many, if not all of Savan-
nah's physicians, favor abolishing the |
quarantine of detention, and they favor il /
believing that IL will not in the slightest |
increase the danger of the Introduction of |
disease II the system Of thorough maritime |
~anitat ion is adopted.