A bill of health is a document from officials of a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

of departure indicating to the officials of the port of arrival whether it is likely that the ship is carrying a

contagious disease A contagious disease is an infectious disease that is readily spread (that is, communicated) by transmission of a pathogen through contact (direct or indirect) with an infected person. A disease is often known to be contagious before medical ...

, either literally on-board as

fomite A fomite () or fomes () is any inanimate object that, when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents (such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi), can transfer disease to a new host. Transfer of pathogens by fomites A fomite is any ...

s or via its crewmen or passengers. As defined in a consul's handbook from 1879:

A bill of health is a document issued by the consul or the public authorities of the port which a ship sails from, descriptive of the health of the port at the time of the vessel's clearance. A ''clean'' bill of health certifies that at the date of its issue no infectious disease was known to exist either in the port or its neighbourhood. A ''suspected'' or ''touched'' bill of health reports that rumours were in circulation that an infectious disease had appeared but that the rumour had not been confirmed by any known cases. A ''foul'' bill of health or the absence of a clean bill of health implies that the place the vessel cleared from was infected with a contagious disease. The two latter cases would render the vessel liable to quarantine.Lewis Joel, ''A consul's manual and shipowner's and shipmaster's practical guide in their transactions abroad'', 187
text at Google Books
/ref>

Notes

Prevention Infectious diseases Maritime transport {{Water-transport-stub

See also

Notes