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4. When alongside the quay, the ports on the side of the vessel nearest
the quay shall be kept closed after sunset.
5. All empty cases and barrels, especially those from the stove rooms,
shall be examined before being landed, to ensure that no rats are contained
therein.
6. It is recommended that all possible means be adopted for catching
and destroying rats, both on the voyage and during the stay of the vessel
in port. Any rats so caught shall be killed, then placed in a bucket of
strong disinfecting solution, and afterwards burnt in the ship's furnace.
7. No rats, alive or dead, are to be removed from the ship without my
permission in writing.
"If any person wilfully neglects or refuses to obey or carry out, or
"obstructs the execution of this Regulation, he shall be liable to a
"penalty not exceeding One Hundred Pounds, and in the case of a
"continuing offence to a further penalty not exceeding Fifty Pounds for
"every day during which the offence continues."
December 31st, 1907. HERBERT WILLIAMS, M,D.London,
Office 51, King William Street, Medical Officer of Health for the
Greenwich,
Port of London.
London, S.E.
A translation of this circular has been made and printed in French and
Spanish for distribution on vessels of those nationalities.
RAT PLAGUE.
On August 19th the Inspector in charge of the West India Dock
discovered in the course of his daily inspection that there was an offensive
smell at the Pay Office, situated on the North Quay.
He investigated the matter and found that the smell arose from some
decomposing bodies of rats lying in a quantity of rubbish in the basement.
On receiving his report I directed a search to be made in the adjoining
warehouses, with the result that five dead rats were found, making ten in all
in the basement of No. 5 Warehouse.
I visited the locality, and was informed, as a result of enquiries, that no
poison had been laid down recently, and there was no apparent cause for this
mortality amongst the rats; I therefore formed the opinion that it was probably
due to some disease, and bearing in mind the susceptibility of rodents to be
affected by the disease of Plague, in all probability this was the cause of the
mortality.