the Validity of the Doctrine of Contagion in the Plague, 9 



gion of the plague, if brought by persons or goods on board ships 

 from foreign countries, show itself, if at all, in these quarantine 

 establishments ? — Considers the length of the voyage, and the 

 care in opening the bales of goods, particularly their being opened, 

 in the open air, as one means of preventing the appearance of 

 plague in this country. The lazarettos are certainly the most 

 likely places for the plague to show itself. 



Being asked to inform the Committee, on his own knowledge, 

 what the usual practice of the expurgators is, in the personal per- 

 formance of their duty, with respect to ships coming with foul 

 bills of health ? — answers, " The first step is, with respect to 

 bales of cotton, to get a certain number of bales on deck in the 

 importing ship; the bales are opened at one end, and a certain 

 quantity of cotton drawn out, by the person employed pushing 

 his hand and arm in as deep as he can (in this country they do 

 it with their hands ; at Venice and Marseilles, when cargoes are 

 infected, they do it with iron hooks.) The bale remains in this 

 state for three days, as well as I can recollect, when\he other end 

 is opened, and undergoes the same operation for three days longer; 

 the bales are then removed into the lazaretto, where they are again 

 opened at both ends, the cotton pulled out, and exposed to the 

 air as much as possible for forty days." Is at present confidential 

 adviser to the Privy Council in matters relating to quarantine. 

 Was sent to Standgate Creek in 1813, and then thought the duty 

 of the expurgators was done negligently. Supposes it is bet- 

 ter done now; the officers have had their line of duty pointed 

 out to them, and understand it better than they did formerly. 

 Believes now that all goods, coming with foul bills of health, are 

 exposed to ventilation ; and that many cargoes have been em- 

 barked when no plague prevailed; but one accident of plague 

 occurring before the sailing of the vessel, makes it necessary to 

 have a foul bill of health. Considers the fever at Gibraltar to 

 have been a much more serious disease than the plague ; during 

 the fever of 1S04, when the population of Gibraltar was not 

 20,000, G,000 persons died. 



Sir James MacGregor. — Mas been on the medical staff of the 

 army twenty-six years. Has seen the plague in Egvpt, and (as 

 director-general of the army medical department) is in possession 

 of the details of the plague in Malta and the Ionian Isles. Was 

 in Egypt in 1801. Few cases of plague came under his own in- 

 spection. Was Mt the head of the medical department of the 

 army which came from India to Egypt; it was his duty to ap- 

 portion the attendance, and frame general arrangements. In this 

 army 165 c;tses occurred. The two first cases that appeared 

 were hospital servants. These two, and four other men that 

 slept in the room, all proved fatal. It never could be traced 



how 



