. Hiotographic Sciences Corporation ^ •< \ < SJ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmte A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est film6 A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes sulvants lliustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 E B GROSSE-ISLE EMIGRANT STATION. A LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE INSI^EOTORS OF HOSPITALS, PRISONS AND ASYLUMS. .. The most vigorous of new settlers, in countries .. essentially healthy, rarely escape that trial of con- ustitution which affects both physical and inenta ..fne^Mr But this process of acclimation, while it .. fits tfe robust for enduring their new life, frequently •' weeds outthe weakly and sickly. {Report of Medical Superintendant 1845.) QUEBEC: PRINTED BY J. T. BROUSSEAU, NO. 7, BUADE STREET. 1861. * 7'o the Inspectors of PrisonSf Hospitals^ ^'c. Oentlemon, On my return to Quebec, after an absence of some weeks, ray attention has been called to an article in the Medical Chronicle commenting approvingly upon tlic action of the Provincial Government in abolishing The Grosse-Isle Establishment, and requiring emigrant vcsselis to perform a Quarantine under certain circum- stances off the River St. Charles. The Editor asserts that the expense of this Establisliment has been .£8000 per annum. On application to the proper c|uarter, lie would have learnt that the total cost was ubout one fourth of this sum (tlwit is £2000). Tie also makes one or two assertions equally reckless, which 1 beg to correct Before doing this I will, as one knowing Homethiiig of the working of the Establishment (now 4ibolished for a time at least) endeavour concisely to recall the circumstances which first led to its U)rmation. In 1831 the appearance of Asiatic cholera in Europe excited alarm in this country ; and the Legislature, in the winter of 1832, made an appropri- ation for the purpose of enforcing an inspection of all vessels arriving by the St. Lawrence, with the view of preventing the introduction of this new unknown and much dreaded disease. Admiral (then Captain) Bayfield was called upon to select a site for the pur- ])ose. On his report Grosso Isle was chosen as being the only Island having deep water and accessible at i'Al times of the tide, and also at a sufiicient distance not only from the City of Quebec, but from all settlements. Temporary sheds were hastily put up, and a lai'go military force sent doAvn, the whole bein^ constituted a military post under a Conmiandant and Staff of Military Officers. The principal medical man in charge was Dr. Griffin and subsequently the late Dr. Crawford of Montreal, then an Army Assistant Surgeon ; a strict Quarantine, as practiced in the Mediterranean was attempted, but here (as I believe everywhere else) it was found impossible to arrest the progi'ess of that inscrutable and then unknown disease by any Qua- rantine Kcgulations. Tlie advantages of the Establishment were however found to be so great in keeping out Fever, Small Pox and other like diseases from the crowded lodging houses of the City, as well as in affording the conve- nience of a place where the multitude of passengers could wash and refit after their long sea voyage that the Legislature made an appropriation for the pur- chase of the Island, for which the sura of $14,000 was paid. Other buildings were erected, very in- sufficient for the purpose, and the difficulty of landing from vessels by open boats in rough weather was found very inconvenient and dangerous. Very little was done, however, to make the place what it should be, until the terrible invasion (rf fever-struck starving crowds in 1847, when, with hospital accommodation and bedding barely sufficient for one hundred patients, some thousand immigrants aiTived within a few weeks of the opening of the navigation. It is on record that the Government were warned by the writer of these pages- the year previous v:h&t was likely to happen, and they were urged in vain to provide for the coming danger. Tlie sights and scenes which passed that year on this Island exceeded iu horror all that has ever been written ©f plague-strnek cities in tlic middle ages, and of whicli the writer may say : i quroquo ipse miscrrima vidi Et quorum pars magna fui. The Atlantic Oeean was dotted with the bodies of upwards of five tlionaands immigrants thrown over- laeard in the middle passage. Passenger ships arrived at Grosse Isle with the remnant of a phantom crew ; in some vessels the deaths on the passage were from 150 to 220, and on an*ival there were hardly hands enough left to work the ship into the anchorage. It is needless to attempt to describe the condition of the remaining passengers or the state of filth of the ^tween decks. In some cases dead bodies in a half putrid state were found in the bertliB, and had to be 4rawn up on deck with boat hooks ; no one on board liaving had strength or courage to throw them over- board before arrival. Upwards of 20,000 sick were treated on shore in tents, temporary sheds and on board the vessels that year ; and 3534 were buried in one small spot, relays of men being engaged night and day for many weeks of a sultry summer in dig- ging trenches to bury them. After the experience of this year, steps were taken to render the establishment better fitted for the pur- pose contemplated. An excellent deep sr.ter wharf was built, and the site of the hospitals was removed to the Eastern end of the Island and separated from that part where healthy Emigrants were landed to wash and purify. Substantial buildings capable of accommodating 5000 souls were put up. Two of these at the hospital and two at the healthy division were double-lined and double-floored, and heated l)y iitoves, so as to serve durin^g the cold weather of early - — aninmcr and late in tlio autumn. ExtunHnM^ cookmij- liousoti and wa.sli-hou.scs wero i>ut up and a hirf^ubrifU uveu was constructod, in which feather bedn and hair mattrasscs, landed from infected vessels were suhjected to dry heat at a hi«;h temperatura, being the only cer- tain moans vet discovered of disinfectintf feathers and hair.. Two neat chur.'»hes were built, one by the Ilonnii> Catholic Church and the other by tlio Church of England. Wells were funic, and various other ihiprovenients made to within the last two vears. The establish- ment is now in peifect order, and will class with any other establishment of tlie kind in the world, both in its natural advantages, and in the arrangements aiul construction of the different buildings ; this has been done at considerable expense to the Province, in round mimbers about £50^000 including the first cost of the Island and the deep water wharf, &(i; To enable the Public and the Editor of the Medical Chronicle to form an opinion of the advantages of the Lazaretto, I will detail the routine observed on the arrival of an emigrant vessel, whose passengers are in a sickly or dirty condition. The vessel on arrival is boarded by the Inspecting Physician whft^ calls upon the Master to funiish a statement of the health of his passengers t>n the voyage ; the names, ages and diseast- of all those who have died on the passage are taken down ; the number, names, &c., of all the sick on board are taken and all other i>artieula?s. The supply of medicine and medical comforts with which the vessel left the port is ascer- tained. An order is then made out for the admission to hospital of the sick. Tlie healthy passengers arc thon all nuisteroJ in a bo«ly on deck hi tlio foivpart f»t' the vessel ; the inspcctiii}^ physician p;()es into tiie 'tween decks and examines every berth, ascertains the condition of the sick and compares the n\nnl)er and names with those given l»y tlie Captain. The passen- gers are tlien passed aft one by one an«l a pei-sonal inspection made of each individual ; among these there are generally found a certain nnnd)er in an incipient stage of disease whose names are added to the return of sick. A note is taken of all insane, blind. dumb, and cripples unaccompanied by friends able to support theni. A return of such is maiU- to the Collector of Customs who exacts bonds from the vessel that such people do nt)t become a bur- then to the Province ; this precaution having been found necessary in consecpience of the introduction of such helpless people. A similar law was first passed by the state of New- York and until a like enactment was passed hero we had the beneiit of all those who could not pass in New-York. After this inspection the Pilot is directed to haul alongside the wharf nt the healthy division where those in good health walk on shore and have assigned to them one of the large buildings, which is white-washed after its occupation by each lot of Emigrants, tliesc .sheds arc all fitted up with berth places ranged on each side similar to those in the'tween decks of the vessel ; into this building the passengers remove with their baggage, to enable them to transport which, from the wharf to the sheds they are furnished with low trucks on iron wheels. The exclusive use of a cook house fitted ui> with boilers and open fire places is assigned to them as also the use of a larue wash house in which down the centre arc ranges of ]>oilers set in brick and open fiixj places. — 8 — and around the sides of tlio building are troughs for washing ; this building is phiced close to and partly over the water which is hero fresh. Tliey are supplied with fuel wood cut on the Island for the jiurpoBO by the party who remain during the winter in fharge of the buildings, &c. Tlio healthy being thus disposed of, the sick have in the meantime been conveyed to the hospitals situated as already said at the Eastern extremity of the Island, their transport there is eifected either in the shijis boats (if the weather and tide admit,) or if these do not answer they are conveyed in a covered carriage, on springs, over a smotli gravel road. At the hospitals they are received by the Steward and Matron who having been previously notified of tho numl)cr they have to receive, have made all the necessary prepai'ations for their reception and comfort. Tliey are before admission taken to the bath house, their liair cut and their usually filthy clothes removed, and being clad in hospital garments are placed in the hospital set apart for the particular disease under which they lal)our. Each hospital has a separate small cook and wash house, so that patients and their attendants in the Small Pox Hospital have no conmiunication with those in the Fever hospital which is distinct in all its details, having a special nurse and orderly. To return to the healthy, these after being all landed with every article of bedding and wearing apparel, etc., are set to wash, purify and clean, the straw and seaweed (German emigrants all use dry seaweed in place of straw) is emptied out of the beds and burnt in heaps at low water mark, fresh straw is issued from a store in the Island. — 9 — Tlio liuUl uiid 'tween dei'ka of the vessel is then tliorou|?hly eleuiied und (if i)jiintetl) is scu'ubbed down with Boaj) and water (if nut painted) the wood M'ork is well whitewashed with quiek linio which is snpplied from a stock kept in the Island. Tliis heing done and any fold ballast thrown out, the master of the vessel has the option of proceeding at once to Quebec upon entering into a bond to send u steamer for his passengers or to ])ay to the emigrant Agent the sum of one Bhilling sterling per adult to cover the cost of their transport by steamer. The great number of ship mastcra prefer paying this tri- fling sum ratlicr than he detaineil. ' Tlie emigrant is also a gainer by this arrangement in being able to reach Quebec in less than three houi-s instead of being some- times as many days working up with the vessel ; du- ring the emigrants' detention in the Island ho is fed in the same manner as if on board the ship. Tlie vessel is bound to provide for him until his arrival in Port. The whole of these conveniences arc afiorded to the vessel and passengers withojit cost or charge of jiny kind whatever. They are not called upon to dis- burse one farthing either for fuel, straw, lime or any- thing else (save and except the transport by steamer to Quebec if the same his had). The convalescents on their discharge from hospital are sent up at the cost of the Province. There has been no need of store or shop in the Island for the last two or three years and no inducement to the emigrant to spend his little means nor does he re- quire to do so as the vessel as already stated is bound by the present Inqierial Passenger Act to supply a sufficiency of good food in a cooked state. In all mat- ters coimcctcd with this Establishment, the Canadian — 10 — Govcrnnu'iit litivo acted with a libcralitv wliicli eon- trasts most favourably with that of any other Esta- blisliinent in the world. As the motive tbrabolishinj;'' this Emigrant Station (fo' 't is little more than in name a Quarantine) i.s its cost to the Province ; it will sni-priso many to learn that tlie whole Establishment including the hire of a speoial Steamer for the duty, the salaries of the offieurs and every otlier expeiv^e does not much exceed two thou- satide pounil(f. And by adopting the suggestions mtide or about to be nuide as I learn by your Board, this expense might be further reduced nearly one half. This could be elfected by dispensing with the exclusive hire of a steamer using instead tlio liail-Iioad which runs on the opposite shore, and by abolishing use- less offices, the actual expense of maintaining this Establishment in M'orking order need not exceed one thousand to twelve hmulred and fifty pounds. A trilling sum compared to the advantages and con- venience of the emigrant and vessel, for even to the latter it is not onlv a convenience but a saving in all cases where the passengers are sickly and foui ; us by the emigrant act the passengers are intituled to remain 4S hours on board after the ship arrives in harbour receiving the same food, berthing, etc., as on the voyage. Xow when the vessel lands her passengers at Grosse-Isle, (which ship nuvsters sometimes ask per- mission to do, even when there is no sickness,) they are savey those who ought to know better that passengers now arrrivc by the steamers and not sailing ves- >>els ; and, though it is well known tliat steerage pas- sengers do arrive and in numbers by the Mail aud — 15 — Anchor lino of steamers, yet it* every one oi" tlie^e steamers was to brinji; tlie complement of passen0. Xor have I any doubt that it will rise again to the ave- i-age of past years, if means are adoptetl to foster it b\' inducing Emigrants to settle in the Province instead of permitting those who have access to them on arrival using their influence to send tliem totihe "Western- States for the benefit of competing Kail-lioad Com- panies and Opposition Steamers tliat can afford to j)ay wellifer such services. G^^^