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(b) The period of twelve days is arrived at, as in the
case of the seven days' period in the Convention of 1892, by
adding two days to the period of incubation.
(c) A healthy vessel thus becomes entitled to free
pratique at a port at which it arrives ten days or more after
leaving an infected port, but the adoption of this period has
the serious result that fast vessels sailing from Bombay will
arrive at the Suez Canal before pratique can be granted.
This difficulty has been satisfactorily overcome by permitting
healthy vessels to pass through the canal in quarantine, and
to complete in the Mediterranean the ten days necessary to
receiving free pratique at a port of arrival. Vessels passing
through the canal in quarantine may, subject to the use of
electric light, coal in quarantine at Port Said by night as well
as by day, and passengers may embark in quarantine at that
port.
(d) The rules for infected and suspected ships follow
those of the Venice Convention of 1892. Vessels carrying a
doctor and a disinfecting stove are allowed to pass through
the canal in quarantine after, in the case of infected vessels,
landing those suffering from plague and persons who have
been in actual contact with the sick or with infected articles
and after disinfection of the infected compartment of the
vessel. Vessels without a doctor and disinfecting stove are
detained at Moses' Wells. Such vessels, if suspected, are
detained for the period required for disinfection and for
ascertaining the condition of the ship's health, while, if in-
fected, the passengers are detained on shore under observ-
ation for a maximum period of ten days. The medical and
sanitary staff at Moses' Wells is to be increased for the
purpose of carrying out these Regulations.
8. The last matter to notice in the chapter of the Regula-
tions dealing with the measures to be adopted against the
plague outside Europe is that of the measures to be taken in
the Persian Gulf. The conclusions of the Conference on this
question differ greatly from those embodied in the Paris Con-
vention. Healthy vessels reaching Ormuz before the expir-
ation of ten days since they last touched at a port infected
with plague must either complete that period at Ormuz or
may, after medical inspection, continue their voyage up the
Gulf or the Shatt-ul-Arab, provided they do so in quarantine
for such term as is required to complete the ten days. The
same provision will apply to suspected vessels, that is, vessels
on which there has been a case of plague, but no fresh case
for twelve days, subject to submission to certain processes