﻿6 The Philippine Journal of Science wu 



can probably be attributed to the fact that all such vessels are 

 fumigated at intervals of not greater than six months with sul- 

 phur dioxide and that they unload either into lighters in the bay 

 or on to rat-proof wharves. 



UNUSUAL CHARACTER OF PLAGUE AT QUARANTINE 



It is perhaps worthy of note that, prior to the appearance of 

 plague in Manila a number of cases of the disease was found 

 on incoming steamers. For instance, on April 6, 1912, a death 

 was reported on the steamship Zafiro, which had arrived the 

 day previous from Hongkong and had been in the harbor for 

 twenty-four hours at the time of the death. At the medical 

 inspection of the vessel, which was made the day previous, no 

 illness was detected. An investigation showed that the victim 

 had been on deck on the night of April 5, 1912, in apparently 

 good health. The next morning, at 6 o'clock, he was found dead 

 in his bunk. The necropsy and subsequent biological findings 

 reported by Dr. R. P. Strong of the Bureau of Science showed 

 that death was due to pneumonic plague. 



On April 7, 1912, the steamer Loongsang arrived in Manila 

 from Hongkong, and the captain reported that a death had oc- 

 curred the day previous in a Chinese member of the crew. Upon 

 investigation of this case, the captain stated that the man was 

 apparently in good health, but that while hauling on a rope he 

 fell over in an apparent faint and was placed in a chair and in 

 the course of a few hours expired. The necropsy and animal 

 inoculations showed that he had died of plague and probably 

 of the pneumonic variety. 



Beginning April 7, 1912, the temperature of all members of 

 the crew and of the passengers that arrived in vessels from 

 foreign ports was taken with a view to detecting any possible 

 cases of plague. 



On the arrival of the steamship Taisang from Amoy at the 

 Mariveles Quarantine Station at about 6.30 a. m. on April 30, 

 1912, the entire personnel was carefully examined and found 

 free from sickness of a suspicious nature and from elevations of 

 temperature. Seventy-three persons were detained to serve a 

 quarantine detention of seven days. On the evening of April 

 30, a Chinese passenger, aged 51 years, was found to have a 

 temperature of 39° C. with a pulse of 100. He was placed in 

 the hospital, but protested vehemently that he was not sick. He 

 was carefully watched from the first; there was a slight cough; 

 physical examination of the chest revealed a few rales; smears 

 made of the sputum and stained for plague bacilli were negative. 



