Summary of transactions at Marcus Hook quarantine station (and Philadelphia) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1916.

Number of sailing vessels inspected and passed___

Number of sailing vessels fumigated for rat destruction__
Number of steamers inspected and passed____.

Number of steamers fumigated for destruction of rats.

Number of vessels spoken and passed_

Number of crew on sailing vessels

Number of crew on steamers_

Number of passengers on all vessels_-_.

Number of steamers disinfected because of quarantinable disease_.
Number of crew detained because of quarantinable disease.......
Number of crew vaccinated because of quarantinable disease_
Number of vessels fumigated at agents' request_-_.

84

64

904

295

5

1,608

34, 278

245

1

26

26

10

Delaware Breakwater quarantine.-Post-office and telegraphic address, Lewes, Del. Acting Asst. Surg. George G. Hart in charge.

During the year 5 vessels were spoken and passed and 47 vessels inspected, 1 being fumigated. There were also 1,157 passengers and crews on these vessels inspected.

Eastport (Me.) quarantine.-Acting Asst. Surg. John E. Brooks in charge.

There were 794 steamers and 50 sailing vessels examined and passed at this port during the year ending June 30, 1916. These vessels carried 29,372 passengers and 27,356 crew. In addition to the above vessels, hundreds of smaller craft, motor and sailing, visit this port from all parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. These small craft often carry 20 or more passengers, most of whom come here to trade, but many also come to take steamer or train for points farther west.

Smallpox has not been reported in this vicinity during the fiscal year. There has been an absence of diphtheria and scarlet fever from the city.

Port sanitary statements, Form 1964, were given to all vessels going to foreign ports. A copy of Bulletin No. 64, covering quarantine regulations, was placed in the hands of all masters of vessels entering this port.

Eureka, Cal.-Acting Asst. Surg. Charles C. Falk reports that during the year 21 vessels were inspected and passed.

Everett, Wash.-Acting Asst. Surg. James Chisholm in charge. During the year 1 vessel was inspected and passed, carrying a total of 31 passengers and crew.

Galveston (Tex.) quarantine.-Surg. R. L. Wilson in charge.

The station is located on the north end of a strip of filled land in Galveston Harbor, known as Pelican Spit. The nearest wharves at Galveston are almost 2 miles distant. From the station eastward across the ship channel is the northeast point of Galveston Island, on which are located the south jetty, the State quarantine station, the Fort Point plant of the United States Engineer Department, and somewhat in the distance Fort San Jacinto. To the north and northeast across the Texas City channel are Port Bolivar, Fort Travis, and the north jetty. To the west lies Pelican Island, and 6 miles distant is Texas City. South is the continuation of Pelican Spit, the Galveston ship channel, and across the channel the city of Galveston.

63887°-H. Doc. 1493, 64–29

No case of quarantinable disease was found during the year. On vessel fumigated very few rats were found. The majority of vessels arriving at this port are regularly employed in the limber trade.

Beaufort, S. C.-Post oflice and telegraphic address, Chisolm, S. C. Acting Asst. Surg. Christopher G. Hay in charge. No trans

actions.

Biscayne Bry quarantine.—Post office and telegraphic address, Miami, Fla. Acting Asst. Surg. James M. Jackson in charge,

During the year 195 vessels were spoken and passed, 6 steamers and 99 sailing vessels were inspected and passed, and 1 steamer and 2 sailing vessels were disinfected for rats and passed. All Vessels were required to rat guard all dock lines and to fend off. These vessels carried 211 passengers and 1,046 crew.

There has been a not ibie diminution in the number of steamers entering Miami during the past year, owing to the fact that the bar at the mouth of the bay was shoaled so as not to afford sufficient water for the regular winter steamship traffe usually carried on. The old pass has shoaled and the new channel has not reached a sufficient stage of completion yet to be used, but it is hoped this condition will be overcome in a short time.

It is also notable that the number of aliens arriving at this port during the past fiscal year has damit shed. This has been due to the European war, which has shut off the supply of dyestuffs, and the gathering of dyewoods in the Bahama I e- has been quite profitable until recently, thus keeping at home a large part of the aliens who used to come here to work.

There has been a very small number of rats found in fumigating vesels. This is believed to be due to the continued fumigation once in three months which has existed for the past two years, as directed by the bureau.

Boca Grmde (Fla.) quaran. Post office and telegraphae ad dress Boca Grande, H. Acting At. g. G. E. Atwood in charge.

No quarantinable or reportable dwie wis encounters I during the year. Boston quarantine, Buton, W:00 Poto" ra 1 telegraph ad Gallops I land. Bo ton. Mi- Sg B Grylls the change The Bo tồn quarantire was operated it ring te heal year et de l June 09, 1915, under a leve from the city of Bo ton at a nom nal rental The station with it- ... port and etre personnel was taken charge of on June 1.14. Darg the year veral charges 1, in the perottel were made by which e «1» Were decrered at. I

Personital at 1pment The personnel it the close of the year consists of the medical colour in Ganget , tant surgeons,

"

one pharmacist, seven attendants on shore and seven on the quarantine steamer Vigilant. The principal buildings are executive building, with office, quarters for acting assistant surgeons and shore forces, dining room and kitchen: two barracks, with standee bunks, together accommodating 600; kitchen and dining room for steerage passengers; bathhouse; two hospitals of four wards each; two storehouses and a barn.

All of these buildings have been put in good repair by the station force, and painting has begun. Changes have been made to increase their usefulness. Drinking fountains have been made, and movable. property has been listed and stored in safe and convenient places.

It has been recognized that the quarantine diseases of greatest importance to Boston are plague, typhus fever, and cholera.

Plague: Vessels arrive at Boston from practically all the plagueinfected ports of Africa, South America, and Asia, and, owing to high freight rates, they seldom arrive empty. Good fumigation before entry is difficult, and any delay causes great opposition. For this reason the use of hydrocyanic-acid fumigation was begun early in the year. Sulphur has not been abandoned, but is still used in holds when time is of little consequence. Superstructures are now fumigated regularly with hydrocyanic-acid gas, which were previ ously not treated. This work is done chiefly at the wharf after discharge, as before, but; in addition, fumigation of superstructures and at times of the holds of certain vessels is now done on arrival. The time a ship must sacrifice is now not over 4 hours, as against 12 to 18 for sulphur. So long as the present precautions are carried out the danger to human life is believed to be small. Results of fumigations are checked by reports on cards, which each captain is requested to return. At the same time experiments with rats are still in progress. The question of rat guards and raising gangways on vessels from suspected ports which have been allowed to discharge before fumigation is unsatisfactory and unsettled. At present the quarantine steamer makes several trips a week to see that these precautions are carried out, and efforts are being made to delegate this work to authorities on shore.

Typhus fever: At present all the immigrants arriving at Boston are from Naples and the Azores Islands, but after the present war a large immigration from typhus-infected countries is expected. Arrangements have been made by which large numbers of persons may be treated to free them from lice. The arrangement is as follows: After separating the sexes, each person undresses in one end of the bathhouse and places his clothes in a numbered canvas bag. The corresponding number on a metal check is put about his neck and all baggage similarly marked. Each person is then sprayed with a gasoline soap mixture and passes through a shower bath, 15 feet long, in which water stands 20 inches deep. The shower is the only passage to the clean side of the bathhouse. The spray used is a stock of soap 1, water 4, gasoline 4, diluted with five parts of hot water. This is sprayed on all parts of the body with a Myer's O. K. spray pump with mechanical agitator, which is installed in a barrel. Gasoline was adopted for this purpose as it was reported as the most efficient agent used against lice by the English Army. The spray drives it into the hair and creases of the body. It lathers freely and

causes no injury even in the eyes. The baggage and canvas bags of clothing are placed on the carriage of the steam chamber and closed inside. A vacuum of 15 inches mercury is then created and hydrocyane acid gas generated at the rate of 3 ounces sodium cyanide per 100 cubic feet is allowed to enter the apparatus. The air valves are opered and all allowed to stand until 30 minutes have elapsed after the gas was generated. By this process, as has been demonstrated, vermin in tightly packed clothes or closed trunks are killed. The process eliminates unpacking, which is necessary if no vacuum is used, as well as the added task of sorting out certain articles if steam disinfection is employed. As no suitable apparatus was available the vacuum at Boston must be obtained from the condenser of the quarantine steamer Vigilant and the hydrocyanic acid gas is generated in a small generator made on the station. In addition a room has been built for loose clothing into which hydrocyane acid gas may be injected from a generator and from which it may be withdrawn by an electric fan without at any time opening the door. Cholera: This station is now prepared to make examinations for cholera carriers. Two rooms in one of the storehouses were fitted up as a cholera laboratory. As but 8300 was available for apparatus, much of the equipment was either made on the station or other articles adapted to laboratory use. After about six months of experimental work a technique was decided upon which it is believed will give accurate and rapid results. Much of the experimental work was an attempt to adopt the newer selective media to quarantine work and to eliminate all but the doubtful and positive cases without using the microscope. This last idea has been abandoned for the present.

Cooperation with other departments: By arrangement with the Boston health department the quarantine station will receive any contagious diseases they wish treated here. One case of smallpox was so cared for.

By arrangement with the medical off cers detailed for immigration duty the station will receive at their request non-quarantinable contag'ous disease,

By arrangement with the marine hospital at Chelsea the station will receive any acute contigious disease from that hospital. During the year the marine ho patil sent the following cases: Chicken pox 1. mea-le 3, -pected d.p.ther a 1.

Although new methods of procedure have been adopted in several instances based on experimental work done, this work is being continted with the hope of still further improvement.

Rat proofing Realizing that it may not always be possible to exclude abone plague by quarantine methods, the Boston building comin. joner, the health department, and the chamber of com merce have been apt rouched to impres on them the advisability of requiring all new bu;'ings, at lest in the water front district of the city, to be of rat proof construction. An attempt is to be made at the next son of the leg.-isture to get the necessary rat proof and fireproof laws.

The Boton heath department is cooper star g by examining for plag se rats brought to their laboratory The number so examined is small, but the work is exceed g y valuable.

Transactions: During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1916, a total of 642 vessels entered quarantine as follows:

Of this number 91 required fumigation and were treated as follows:

The following number of detained persons were treated in hospital:

Brunswick (Ga.) quarantine.-Acting Asst. Surg. R. E. L. Burford in charge.

During the year 6 vessels were spoken and passed, 18 steamers and 15 sailing vessels were inspected and passed, and 11 steamers and 23 sailing vessels were fumigated and passed. There were 1,002 crew on steamers, 435 crew on sailing vessels, 2 passengers on steamers. No vessel was quarantined and no vessel detained for a longer period than required for inspection and fumigation. No sickness was found on the vessels inspected and none developed while vessels were in port.

Cape Charles quarantine.-Post-office and telegraphic address, Fort Monroe, Va. Acting Asst. Surg. Ward B. MacCaffry in charge.