MR. T. M. HEALYOn behalf of the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. VESEY KNOX), I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board Whether his attention has been called to the Bacteriological Report and the Dispatch of 10th March from the Government of India, showing that mice inoculated with an infusion from grain infected by the plague bacillus died in sonic cases though the grain had been for 13 days free from fresh infection, and that the bacilli might at a later date re-acquire toxic properties under favourable conditions: and whether he can state what steps have been taken to prevent the introduction of the plague into the United Kingdom?
§ MR. CHAPLINMy attention has been drawn to the Report and Dispatch referred to. From the Report it would appear that an experiment in which mice were deliberately injected beneath the skin with preparations of nine different species of grain, which had been purposely infected with microbes of bubonic plague, one single mouse, injected with one of these nine preparations died after 24 hours, whilst all the others survived. As regards the mouse that died it is stated that it "showed no appearances microscopically or otherwise, of having succumbed to bubonic infection," and I am advised that no scientific conclusion should be drawn from such a result. I do not gather that the Report shows "that the bacilli aright at a later date re-acquire toxic properties under favourable conditions." What the Report says, is that the Government of India are advised that the experiments are not conclusive, since such re-acquirement of toxic properties may be possible. The steps which have been taken to prevent the introduction of plague into England and Wales are embodied in an Order relating to Plague, Cholera and Yellow Fever, which was issued by the Local Government Board in November 1896. These regulations were brought under the direct notice of every Urban, 1587 Rural and Port Sanitary authority in England and Wales. I have also instructed Medical Inspectors of the Department to pay special visits to a number of ports which are in somewhat frequent communication with ports of India.