The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-09-24
QUARANTINE.

By the conference of Constantine
pie, 1866, quarantine was fixed at ten
days, but vessels in which all sani-
tary precautions had been taken, in
Guiding inspection at the port of de-
parture, and which carried commits
stoned medical officer, had the time
spent on the voyage as a part of the
quarantine period. If the voyage had
lasted fifteen days or more the quar-
antine was reduced to five days.
At the conference of Vienna, 1874,
it was decided that "rigid guarantees
were less to be feared in their ecOno-
mic consequences than the evils con-
sequent on the diffusion of epidemic
cholera" that 1--WE know guarantees
prevent mportation-but they do not
quarantine Safety." The last confer
ence held in Rome formulated rules
for international application, Gin the
measure indicated by scienoe' which
had by this time discovered the etiolo-
gical factors of cholera.
The following rules were adopted:
"Ou arrival at European ports sus-
pected vessels are to be considered en-
titled to free l0rOtilue only where in
spection in day time by the medical
officer Of the port revealed that all
needful precautions had been
taken before sailing and on the
voyage, and that no case of
suspicious character had occurred on
board, and that ten days at least had
been spent Ell route. If this period
had not elapsed since leaving port, a
detention of twenty-four hours was
required for observation with disin-
lection OF linen and other personal eff
fects. The period of observation was
limited to five days; but if no case of
cholera had occurred on board for ten
days the detention was reduced to
twenty four hours. Vessels with pas
sengers for the ports of Egypt and the
Red Sea should be inspected near the
Straits of Babe ell Mondab and again
on arrival at destination. Vessels not
carrying a medical officer on board
should be subjected to two eXamina-
tions. This conference imposed a de-
tention of twenty-four hours in cases
where the sea voyage from suspected
ports had lasted less than ten days,
and a quarantine of from three to six
days on suspected vessels from Medi-
terrsneau ports, with no proposition
looking to the system of medical in
spection as all alternative. DIR.
Smart, eX-SuTgeOn General, L. ,. A,
Ref. Hdbk Med. Sciences '94.
America, with her usual progressive
spirit, erred on the right side in 1878,
and went so far as to prohibit vessels
carrying certain goods from Russian
ports from landing at New York.
While this, of course, was modified,
the United States have a system OF
quarantine embracing what require
mentS the country calls for, it Is eau
tious, scientific and rigid. Like all
most every other American thing, 1t
inn al
methods On September l, 1892, the
President issued a circular declaring a
twenty days quarantine against all
ships and from any port whatever.
There was urgency and they met 1T,
Just as we have with far less rigid
measures. March Is, 1898, Secretary
Carlisle issued new regulations, con-
tanning seventeen articles, in regard
to quarantine. They are valuable
reading.
DIR. Burroll, of New York, says in
Medical Record, July, 90: sin the
first place, such an examination and
preliminary quarantine as was prac-
ticed during recent cholera epidemics
was a defensive blow nearest the seat
of evil. A second quarantine on this
side of the water, in the event OF sus-
piciOus cases arriving on board OF
vessel, is our additional defense. If
thorough disinfection of personal
clothing and baggage is practiced,
and all exposed localities are
carefully cleansed, so that if
the disease enter it may find
no soil to nourish it, it does not seem
to require detention longer
than ten days for healthy vessels from
infected ports, or which contain pas
from infected districts, or for
infected vessels of more than ten days
after the end of the last case OF chOl-
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