New-York tribune., 1906-07-09
DIFFERENCES IN QUARANTINE.

The captain of the British steamer North
waite which arrived at New Orleans the other
day, tells the following story: He left Rio
Janeiro for Mobile a few weeks ago with
clean bill of health and documents showing that
his berth in Rio had been on the healthy side of
the harbOr Acting on advice from the British
and American cOnsuls there. he decided to stop
at the island of st. Lucia in the West Indies
for fumigatiOn, though he saw no real necessity
for doing so. At ST. Lucia he received another
clean bill of health and also certificate that
the operation of fumigating his ship had been
conducted in strict accordance with the usage
of the United States Public Health and Marine
Hospital Service. No cases of sickness devel-
Oped on board. and the captain felt confident
that when he reached his destination eight days
later, there would be no delay in gaining access
to the wharves To his dismay, however. the
quarantine officer at Mobile not only insisted on
fresh fumigatiOn, but also on detention for five
days. That proceeding provoked the captains
wrath-fOr in the merchant service time is
mOney-but he was still angrier when. having
taken his ship to New Orleans. he there discOv-
cred that another vessel which had been fumi-
gated at St. Lucia had been passed by the quar-
antne officer at the mouth of the Mississippi
after delay of only two hours.
Now. it is easy TO say what would have hap
pened if the NOrthwaite had come to New York
from a South American port with a clean bill
of health. If the voyage had lasted more than
five days and no illness had developed in that
time. and If on arrival neither passengers nor
crew showed suspicious symptoms. DR.. Doty
would have sent the vessel up to her pier imme
diately. 1t is now believed that if a person has
become infected with yellow fever it will mani
fest itself within five days. If IA longer period
has elapsed since there was possibility of in
fpctiOO quarantine officials would ho
convinced that all danger was passed. Moreover,
DR.. DOty is so skeptical about germ laden mos.
QuitOes finding a lOdgment in q vessels cargo
that he considers fumgatiOn unnecessary if no
outbreak Of fever has occurred during the vOy-
age,
Unfortunately, there has been a notable diver
sity of practice in the South in dealing with
ships from South American ports where there
was a chance that yellow fever prevailed. In
some states more stringent rules have been
adopted than in others. For this reason a COM
plete transfer of the whole quarantine service
from the state to the national authorities has
long seemed desirable The Quarantine law
passed by Congress a few weeks ago enlarges
the power of the federal government but it does
not entirely deprive state boards of their func-
tions. Florida turned her quarantine stations
over to the United States Public Health and
Marine Hospital Service months ago. and the
hope has been entertained that the other South
ern States would eventually do so. 1t is evil
dent that Alabama had not taken the step at the
time of the NOrthwaite's visit TO Mobile, but
sooner or later the example of neighboring COM
monwealths will probably become influential.
Dispatches from New Orleans indicate that
Louisiana will make a new experiment this
year. large part Of the freight brought to the
Crescent City from Central and South America
is fruit, which is an extremely Derishable COM
modify. Detention for five days at the mouth
of the Mississippi where the quarantine station
is situated, might well result in heavy losses
to the importers. Accordingly, it has been de-
cided to change crews when fruit ship enters
the river. The men who have been on board
during the voyage are to be transferred tenn
porarily to hOusebOat, and others will take the
vessel up to the wharves, unload it and take it
back TO the quarantine station. This ingenious
and promising plan indicates that Louisiana has
a progressive state Board of Health.