The Preussen Smallpox Scare.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 195, 19 March 1887, Page 4

The Preussen Smallpox Scare.

Dr. MacLaurin, in his report upon the Preuseen smallpox cases, points to several cases that seem to demand instantattention. Thus he says that of fche passengers of the Preussen 392 were ot British nationality, and although the steamer, alter having left Antwerp, touched at Southampton, yet these were conveyed from England, at the expense of the company, to Antwerp, and embarked there, with the intention, Dr. MacLaurin thinks, to prevent the Preus&en becoming liable to the provisions of the Imperial Passengers Act of 1852 and 1863. Tracing up the Preussen's voyage, the report Bays it i8 evident that not more than three persona of those who came to Sydney hud been infected with smallpox before the arrival ot the steamer at Albany on the morning of December 15, 1886. If the smallpox patient on whom symptoms had been developed had been remuved from the vessel without delay on that date, ">t is in the highest degree probable that the spread of disease would have been restricted within very narrow limits. But he wa- not removed, and he consequently continued to be a source of danger until his corpse was taken out of the ship and buried on December 20. Dr. MauLauiin thinks that the vessel was not, on arrival in Sydney, in a proper state of cleanliness. He is also of opinion that the discipline on the voyage, especially in relation to santitary matters, was not what it ought to have been, and that passengers were allowed to do insanitary things, whilst fcnrreis of provisions wero for a time c fco wed under bottom berths of pisaengera. This he attributes to the veesol nut beiog under the couhrol of the Imperial Passengers' Act, which prevented the master having proper authority. The xeport concludes, " I would again repeat to the board my conviction that it tho health cificer at Albany hadnotcommitteda ctlaroitous error of judgment in failing to remove the pick man fro-n the fchip, a great part of the c:>nsequtnt disease and death would have, in all likelihood, been averted ; and 1 would airain recotntnond that the Government shuuld be ur^ed, in concert with the other Australian Governments, to establish such a system of federal quarantine as shall fctfecrually prevent any similar occurrence in future.