SMALL-POX SCANDAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 895, 19 May 1903, Page 3

SMALL-POX SCANDAL.

TUB COLONY’S DANCED.

By Telegraph—Press Association—* Christchurch, lust night. Dr Valentine, Acting Chief Health Ollicer of the colony, who arrived from Wellington early this morning, states ‘hut tin; outbreak on the steamer Gracchus is undoubtedly small pox. lie urgently ad iH ail persons who have not been vaccinated, or have not been recently vaccinated, to undergo the operation at once. To day Dr Stewart. at Christchurch, am! Dr. i’airnjan, at Lyttelton, wid he in attendance ;u vaccinators. Other doc tors

will also ho in icudim-ss ii required. Chipt. Huilieiluini’,-i report on Jfeh’s condition csterda.y ni'lornoon wus (hut he whs no worse. On the return of the tut; So J.yttolton, the lirst cure of tin; violuis was to piuoimtu eooil supply ol in •!. unili for the patient s l; a;. It v. as -n i io io.e CiracciitJH. Til an; no other can ■ illness ;uji o:ia Ui( Or t -li'jss c cupai y It is unde.'.-tool tt.nt So- per-ells wlio handled the eotryo troin the OriiconiJ < hr.', c the option of we.;; rrccnuiir d m Coho.; sent into <|Uar..;itine. tin lor no steps hare hem Lai: n lor the slu-eination o; t.he

people who boanhb Hie ves mi, hut UuJ not work the cargo. A nin.n; inis been obtained to attend to Uie patient. It is di - sired to get the services of a doeto l ' to r-tn-iii. on till! vc. sel. Dr Pine.i went to Q mil island by tire launcii Canterbury hi l last night to inspect idle ttccjiumohutiou then:.

The lumpers who handled the cargo of the Gracchus, after reluctance, wero vaccinated. The patient Bell is in a very critical condition. Jto is suffering, it is thought, from confluent small-pox. There

in not room to place a three-penny piece between the pustules. IPs eyes are nearly closed. All the members of the families of the lumpers who handled the cargo will ho vaccin tied, the houses disinfected, and their clothes burned. Ijyt fel ton, hist night. William Dei), third ollicer of the Gracchus, supposed to he sullering from smallpox, was visited by Dr ifnieh, the Christchurch health ollicer, last night. Dr Pinch status that fail is in it highly critical condition, sullering from conllucnt smallpox. Dr Valentine, acting chief health ollicer, arrived bum Lyttelton at b o’clock this morning, lie states that i.)rs Pinch and Cphain are firmly convinced that the cases on fim Gracchus are small-pox. J i t: ridicules the suggestion that the illness wu msed by i■ iear puisuning, saying the symptoms am entirely different. In the

first stage me symptuus aio similar to those of German measles, which possibly explained the opinion of the lieulth officers at Port Chalmers and Tiuiam that the cases were not serious. The weakest fea-

tures oi the precautions taken against a possible epidemic is that they did not know who forded the vessel at Pori Chalmers and Tinuuu, also the wharf laborers who handled the cargo at Lyttelton g away to their homes before they were detami d, with the result that all the

families imve to be vaccinated. Tibs morning the work commenced of disinfecting the houses of the contacts, burning their clothes, etc. Sixteen lum purs were vaccinated, as well as several other, who boards d the vessel.

iegritm has been received from Sir Josiyii War I, slming that all tile men who are vaccinated shall rcceivo three days’ full pay, covering the period they are incapacitated. Dr Valentine has telegraphed to Port Chalmers and Tiuiaru to isolate all the cargo lauded there, pending further instructions.

The ctuw oi the Gracchus, consisting of 7ti La-a: srs and 10 Europeans, v.'til lie removed to tl.-u qu -.rantine isiaiul, leaving only siiliicient men on board to look after the ship, it is eoiisidercd that even if 00 other eoiilacls are qu ii i.rit tied, there will be ample accommodation on the island. Thu ii.-etur has telegraphed for ft doctor from Wellington to attend the patient Bell, the local medical men refusing to stay on hoard. A nurse is on hoard. Dr Valentino visits the vessel and the quarantine station in the afternoon.

Lirer.--Alter visiting tin- Gracchus this nfwt noun Dr Valentino stilus t).ut the pat ini:Fell is progressing well. .He seems ■ltuiTul. Dr lUcDougall, of Wellington, arrives to night to lake charge of ttie case.

Wellington, last night. It is in.il-'rstooii tlmt Sir Joseph Will'd Jins called upon the health officers at l’ort Chalmers and Tiniam lor a full report concerning the sickness on the Gracchus, and their reasons for attributing it to German measles. The health officers at Lyttelton have been instructed to use every precaution against the introduction of smallpox into the colony, and an additional doctor has been detailed for the Quail Island quarantine station.

NO NEED EUR SCARE

Per Press Association, Wellington, last night.

IV Fringley, of the Health Department, sa,.s that there is no need for a scare at the discovery of small pox at Lyttelton. The Department hud been quite prepared for such an emergency, and there are amt.'., stocks of recent vaccine, in the ha.i.is of tho district health officers in every centre of the colony. Dr Fringley considers that there is no ntod for any special precautions being taken with regard to shipping from ports tit which the Gracchus called, as everythin 1 ' in connection with the affected vessel lias been followed up.

TLie Health Officer at Timaru has telegraphed to the effect that thoso persons who boarded tho vessel at this port aro Known, and will be carefully watched, and offered the alternative of vaccination or quarantine.

Later. —To-morrow morning Lascars anti 10 Europeans will be landed from the .steamer Gracchus at t.lio quarantine station on Quail Island, this being done in order to allow of a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the vessel. Tho cargo landed from tho Gracchus, IS trucks of corn sacks, bags, and kapok, was commandeered by Hr Valentine, and ordered to be, as a preliminary measure, fumigated. The clothes worn by persons who had worked on board the steamer wero collected during the day in a disinfected cart, and burned at tho rubbish heap under the direction of the District Sanitary Inspector (Mr Miinfii) and tho Borough in-s-rector Air Sowdeiq. Mr ilunio was ,-d during too day in disinfect-

in'- liouies Jl " contacts.” Johnson was 21 years of age, and was a n.tfivo uf Tasmania. He held an English certificate as a master ol a vessel. itch is 24 years uf age, and was born at South Shields. He is suffering from conEluent small pox.

T ; ' re is considerable feeling in Lyttel•;jll o ver the Gracchus having been ,n 0 veil to pass the Southern ports it is j l Lion when she was at I’otC Clndinet's the disease was not so developed as lo be unniistakeable, but that when she arrived at Tiiiiaru the symptoms should have been sucti as to leave no doubt. Toe wharf laborers objected strongly to v u . dilution unless compensated for ioss of .'in; , pointing out that compensation was "-i'vci'i for property- destroyed by the health !•. .. Mr Laurenson, member for

L-. itclton, thereupon telegraphed to Mir .Yo-euh Ward, who replied that tho men be given three days’ foil pay, which would the period Lucy Were incapacitated. The men tnereupon submitted u vaccination forthwith. Toe promptness of the concession by Government is much appreciated in Lyttelton. There arc several theories as to the ■■m-e of the outbreak. One is that inferhou came Iron: the cargo. Another iio.-ih,- muse is suggested. One of the

. r , v. to Lascars died a few days after tho v...Jel left (’-ilc.ttta. lie did not exhibit mv eruption, but it is considered possible that death was due to smallpox. Fifty-seven persons who had been on heard the Gracchus were vaccinated to<lnv at Lyttelton police station. Mr Kaye, Chairman of the Lyttelton Harbor Board, was among the subjects, the last of whom - . ic two little newspaper runners who in .jjiir eagerness to push business had a- iU pcd on board the vessel as slio came ... the wharf. To-day 'id houses in Lyttelton occupied contacts were visited by the health authorities and disinfected. Some of the jumpers live in Christchurch and suburbs, and their houses will also bo disinfected.

Ltmi dir:, Iji? t night. The lnulili officer «•.:) engag.-i to-day vaccinating those who loo! in any way come into contact with those on board the siertuicr Gracchus while she was at the Dunedin wharf, in ah T-i out of 00 known were vaccinated, including 00 iahou.-r:--, (h. ko.au official-:, representatives of various linos, etc. A lady pas--i-nger who c uue ashore here is not s'rung enough to hr: vaccinated at present, but ail in the house with her have been subjected to the operation. A medical man will examine ail vaccinated twice a day. As for the cargo landed, the portion not removed from the wharf lias been barricaded oil, and will be fumigated, and the rest will be traced. Some, however, has been tran shipped by the Talune, Rosamond, and Id polo. All took away acurjo of it, and it will be for the health officers elsewhere to look after this.

A WEAK DEFENCE.

liv Tck-ef’ipii -IV' ss Association. Tiiift !!, Iftft night. l;o til" Gi !■':■! -I 'v.: Dr I l(;i : .lit; iii'U in: ri tr ui ii v/1 ! ’i: from Jhmwii tout I'" w i ; two <■ of licrum in !•■: o ,u:d i. : (• j!e won X::" ;-r no;:.?, c.vrirc'.iiq Gei iJIH.I !, h.s and Sil.v■/ nothing ill ill apnea. 1/ P'i 1:. .;t.' in sugg- *’■ ’"'.V li Dig Vo: -0. Vl ere Ill) lil -tine' V' Ij' of Mnsil-pcx. Dr liv,'! 1- familiar will these, having ore.;: bed charge of !i small. hoep : al. Tii.i eaplain wan ashore at IS a time of iiin visit. lit, told ilia s’evun] 1 1 continue tlio mc’dicinosupplied at iJunodin, and gave several instructions regardin;' diet, and that the patients were to bo kept isolated, and that when they reached Lyttelton they should be quarantined and the cahiii:; fumigated. Nothing moro could he done at Tiuiaru, as there is no place for quarantining patients. The men said they were much hotter than they had been, and as nothing more could bo done 011 the supposition that the complaint was German measles, Dr Ueid did not see the men again. U.o toid the steward to send for him if any need for doing so appeared, but no message was sent him. An advertisement requests all persons employed or visiting the Gracchus to attend the health officer to-morrow for vaccination.

BUGGESTE I) PRECAUTIONS.

The followin'; telegram was received last evening by Dr Fisher from the Health Department : “ I regret to inform you that two cases of sinali pox were discovered on the arrival of the Gracchus at Lyttelton on Saturday. The Gracchus left Calcutta on April 2nd, arrivin'; at Melbourne on May 2nd, Fort Chalmers on the 12,‘,h, and Timaru on the 1 Ith. As many persons have boarded the vessel, many of whom are not known, I would particularly ask you to keep a good look-out for the prodomal symptoms of Ihe disease, and notify the District Health Officer and the local authority of any ease that you may consider suspicious. 1 hope you will do all you can to induce people to got vaccinated. —V. V.u.ntrmn, District Health Officer.”