The Common Nature of Epidemics, and their relation to climate and civilizationSmith, Southwood
History
The Common Nature of Epidemics, and their relation to climate and civilization
Smith, Southwood
Communicable diseases; Epidemics; Quarantine
The hope of benefiting the crew by the change of their quarters from the
ship to the land was not realized. On the contrary, the sickness
continued to increase with so much virulence that, at the end of the
third week after the arrival of the ship at Boa Vista, no fewer than 60
fresh cases were added to the sick list, and some deaths took place
nearly every day.
In this state of things a consultation of the medical officers was held
on the condition of the crew, the result of which was a recommendation
that the ship should immediately proceed to Madeira, and if the fever
received no check, that she should go on to England. In conformity with
this advice, the whole of the crew, the sick as well as the healthy,
were forthwith re-embarked, and the ship sailed from Boa Vista on the
following day, namely, the 13th of September.
The sequel to this sad narrative shows that no improvement took place
during the passage of the “Eclair” to Madeira, where she was refused
pratique. She therefore proceeded next day on her voyage to England, and
anchored off the Isle of Wight, at the Motherbank, on the 28th of
September, having lost, since sailing from Boa Vista, 12 more of her
crew. Thus in the short space of 37 days, that is, from the time when
she anchored at Boa Vista on the 21st of August, till her arrival at the
Motherbank on the 28th of September, there occurred no less than 90
attacks and 45 deaths, including the death of her excellent and devoted
captain.
On her arrival in England the ship was put in quarantine, and remained
under the direction of the Privy Council until the 31st of October.
On the day following her arrival, Dr Richardson proposed that the sick
should be immediately removed to a wing of Haslar Hospital, to be
appropriated exclusively for them; stating, that in his opinion, if the
sick were placed in well-ventilated wards, with fresh bedding, and the
other means of cleanliness afforded by an hospital, there would be no
further risk to the attendants than would occur in wards set apart for
cases of typhus fever.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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