THE BUBONIC PLAGUE. ACTION BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH. PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED

A special meeting of the Board of Public Health was held at the Railway Offices on Saturday to decide what precautionary measures should be taken in connection with the outbreak of the bubonic plague at Noumea and in the Sandwich Islands.

Dr. Gresswell presided, and, after recapitulating what has already been published in The Argus, said that the Viceroy of India had declared that inoculation by prophylactic was by far the best means of fighting the disease. Whereas 70 to 80 per cent. of deaths had occurred before the vaccine was used, 70 to 80 per cent. of people attacked had recovered after its introduction in India.

He (Dr. Gresswell) thought that the disease would become pandemic, and extend over a wide area of the earth's surface.

The board then went into committee, and, on the chairman's suggestion, passed resolutions to the effect that Polynesia (the Sandwich Islands), Madagascar, Seychelles Islands, and Reunion should be proclaimed infected areas; that no vessel from any infected port in Polynesia should be allowed alongside a wharf or pier in Victoria; that publicity should be given to section 129 of the Health Act, which provides that medical practitioners must at once notify a householder as to any case of plague, and that the householder must in turn inform the local council within 24 hours; that the Minister of Health be urged to procure a supply of anti-plague vaccine; that when vessels arrive from infected ports they should be subjected to medical inspection for a week, i.e., on the second, fourth and sixth days after arrival; that the other colonies should be approached with the object of securing uniform action in quarantine matters; and that the period of detention for vessels arriving from proclaimed ports should be fixed at 12 days, dating from the time they left such port.

New South Wales, it may be mentioned, has adopted 12 days as the incubation period, Queensland 14, South Australia 10, Western Australia, the only Australian colony to sign the terms of the Venice Convention agreement, 10, and this colony 12. Some federal understanding is urgently required.

In committee the board, while not approaching the subject in any spirit of scare, discussed the question of accommodating patients should the plague reach this colony, and though no definite arrangement was come to, it was tacitly understood that in such an event the house where the outbreak occurred should be isolated and treated as a hospital in the first place; then that the Cut-paw-paw Sanatorium should be availed of; and, if that would not suffice, that one of the hospitals should be set apart for plague patients.

The board's recommendations will be laid before the Minister immediately after the holidays.

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITY IN SYDNEY

AUSTRALIA MUST EVENTUALLY SUFFER

DR. THOMPSON'S OPINION

SYDNEY, Friday.

No information has been received by the Board of Health as to the bubonic plague in New Caledonia, nor relative to the outbreak of the malady at Hawaii, in the Sandwich Islands, but the board has accepted the press telegram as to the presence of the plague at Hawaii as correct, and the executive officers have been instructed to be on the alert in regard to vessels which may have touched any port in the Hawaiian group, so that they may be promptly quarantined on their arrival here if necessary.

Cable messages have been forwarded to the health authorities both at Honolulu and San Francisco, requesting them to send information as to the existence of the disease and any developments thereof, and also as to the precautions adopted, with the view of preventing it from spreading.

The authorities at San Francisco have been specially requested to advise this colony should there be an outbreak of the disease there.

The Premier has sent similar messages to the British Resident at Honolulu and the Government of the United States.

It is not supposed that the disease has made its appearance at San Francisco, but the message has been sent there with the object of ensuring the receipt of advice at an early date should the malady invade the United States. Should the authorities here be apprised of such an event they will be able to adopt such measures as may be deemed advisable in the hope of keeping these shores free from the plague as long as possible.

As far as the outbreak at Hawaii is concerned, the health authorities of this colony derive a considerable amount of satisfaction from the circumstance that the steamers coming from Honolulu to New South Wales generally touch at either Auckland or Brisbane, and thus become liable to inspection before coming to Sydney.

The Eure was released from quarantine observation yesterday, and at noon to-morrow the yellow flag will be hauled down on board the Pacifique. As to the M.M.S. Ville de la Ciotat, which is due to arrive on Friday next, the vessel will not make the trip to Noumea. The mails for New Caledonia will be transhipped to the Pacifique.

The meeting of the Board of Health will be held to-morrow, at which consideration will be given to the question of improving the sources of intelligence from the plague-stricken countries upon which the colony has to rely on the present occasion. These have proved extremely unsatisfactory.

Another matter which will be considered will be such a modification of the present system of quarantining vessels as would bear less harshly than the existing method does on vessels arriving from Noumea. The question of the treatment of sailing vessels from infected ports will also be discussed.

Dr. Ashburton Thompson, the president of the board, has arrived at the conclusion that it is inevitable that the plague should reach Australia sooner or later. The colonies, he says, might escape the present wave of infection, but eventually the plague would invade Australia, even though the invasion might be deferred for many years.

Quarantine was useful, but not infallible, and could not be expected entirely to exclude infection; but there was no need to become gloomy over the matter, for even although one or two, or even half-a-dozen, cases were introduced, the authorities might be able to stamp the plague out.

He had no doubt whatever that the plague was easier to control than small-pox, and he saw no reason why it should not be more easily stopped.

With reference to the allegation made by the Victorian health authorities that the Sydney Health Department had been tardy in replying to a certain telegram sent by Dr. Gresswell, Dr. Ashburton Thompson states that there had been no unnecessary delay in the matter. Before he could answer the question asked by Dr. Gresswell he had to await the holding of a meeting of the Board of Health, and the following day a telegram was sent to the chairman of the Victorian Board of Public Health.

PRECAUTIONS AT ADELAIDE

ARRIVAL OF THE AUSTRALIEN

CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH

ADELAIDE, Sunday.

On the arrival of the M.M.S. Australien on Saturday at the Semaphore, the vessel was visited by the chairman of the Central Board of Health (Dr. Ramsay Smith) and the acting health officer.

All members of the ship's company were mustered, including a number of French soldiers, who were passengers from Noumea to Marseilles, and were submitted to a rigorous medical inspection.

As no trace of illness was apparent and the full period of ten days had elapsed from the vessel's departure from Noumea, she was granted a clean bill of health.