Report by Professor W.J. Simpson on sanitary matters in various West African colonies and the outbreak of plague in the Gold Coast.

  • Simpson, W. J. (William John), Sir, 1855-1931.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report by Professor W.J. Simpson on sanitary matters in various West African colonies and the outbreak of plague in the Gold Coast. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    prior to embarkation reduce the risk of carrying infection on board ship to a minimum, thereby protecting the shipping interests as well as the Colonies from the extension of the disease. Much confusion regardimj movement of vessels atfrst. (17) The difference in the quarantine laws in Sierra Jvcone, Southern Nigeria, and the Gold Coast, the term quarantine, which has for captains and shipping firms an ominous meaning, and the rather vague information regarding the regulations which each Colony, British and foreign, on the West Coast of Africa had framed and were enforcing against the importation of plague, led at first to much confusion, controversy, tr<juble, and loss. The ease (f the steamship Burutu. (1<S) For instance at the beginning of the outbreak of plague the captain of the steamship Burutu, because he was ordered on arrival at Freetown from Accra, an infected port, to the quarantine station preparatory to the necessary precautions being taken before landing and isolating native [)assengers and Kroomen, and because he considered the order unusual, the precautions unnecessary, and a waste of time for his ship, he preferred to take the passengers and Kroomen on to Liverpool rather than submit to the regulations. In this instance no doubt the captain confused the restrictions to which his ship would be subjected under the antiquated quarantine laws of Sierra I^eone under the Ordinances of 1882 and 1890, with those to be enforced by the more modern regulations framed under one of the provisions of the Ordinances. Sierra Leone restrictions. (I'J) The restrictions enforced at Sierra Leone consisted of the following precau- tionary measures :— (1) Vessels arriving from a Gold Coast port anchor in the quarantine anchorage, which is about tAvo miles from the wharf. (2) All communication was prohibited, except to those that had special permits to do so. These permits were issued to the Agents, Customs, and Post Office, and to shippers of cargo, and to intending passenger?. (3) Cabin passengers were allowed to land, their names and addresses being taken for observation and their bao-o-ao-e disinfected. (4) Krooboys and deck passengers landed and detained at the Lazaretto until the completion of the quarantine period of 12 days (this was afterwards reduced to eight days) from date of departure from last Gold Coast port of call. (5) Vessels in quarantine were permitted to take passengers, stores, water, coal, and cargo. (6) Packages of cargo were allowed to be landed subject to disinfection. The regulations were not excessive considering the circumstances at the time exce])t perhaps the inclusion of all the Gold Coast ports. There Avas even a certain amount of justification for this with ships carrying deck passengers, and the difficulty at the commencement of knowing how far the infection had extended along; the coast not necessarily to ports but to localities near ports at which deck passengers could have been shipped. Later this possibility Avas prcA'ented by no natives being alloAved to embark on board from an}' port in the Gold Coast unless they had been in the port rive days and were examined before embarkation by the Medical Officer. The incident of the steamship Burutu led to misunderstanding and to alarm on the part of a number of the captains and of tlie local agents of the boating company, and ^ome months elapsed before the effects disa])peared. The quarantine Ordinances foi- Sierra Leone were passed in 1882 and 1890 ; for the Gold Coast in 1901, and for Southern Nigeria in 1904. In each powers are given to make regulations and it is generally the regulations that govern the restrictions. In order to preA'ent future confusion the quarantine ordinances and regulations, amended to be in harmony Avith modern preA-entiA'e medicine but conditioned to local circumstances, should be the same in all the British West African Colonies. The most important local conditions to be taken into account are : — (rt) The close proximity of the ports to one another. (A) The large number of deck passengers with their baggage and small articles of merchandise. and (f) The ease with which in some instances a person from an infected port may readily reach by land a neighbouring healthy port and then embark.