The Ruby Princess was not the first vessel to arrive in Sydney and allow infectious passengers to 'walk the city'. In 1913 a steam ship arrived with smallpox on board, and a failure in the quarantine system in Sydney caused citizens of Melbourne to become anxious about outbreaks in their city - and the available lymph for vaccination was being soaked up by New South Wales. A sudden panic caused Melbourne doctors' surgeries to be overrun by people anxious to be vaccinated. The mortality rate for smallpox was at least 70%, and it was rightly feared.
Marilyn Kenny continues the story of vaccination in Melbourne and Essendon in Death or Disfigurement.
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