Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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TABLE XXIX.—Rat Precautions .—U.S .A. Requirements.
In accordance with the order of your Worshipful Committee, certificates specifying the precautions taken to prevent the ingress of rats from shore to ship, while in the port, were issued in respect of the following vessels:—
Date. 1923. | Vessel. | Where lying. |
---|---|---|
Oct. 22 | "Nevisian" | Royal Albert Dock. |
Nov. 1 | "Mississippi" | Ditto. |
„ 1 | "Tyrrenhia" | King George V. Dock. |
„ 20 | "Ausonia" | Surrey Docks. |
„ 22 | "Andania" | Ditto. |
Dec. 13 | "Barbadian" | Royal Albert Dock. |
„ 20 | "Verentia" | Surrey Docks. |
TABLE XXX.—F ORM A.
AMOUNT OF SHIPPING ENTERING THE PORT SANITARY DISTRICT DURING
THE YEAR 1923.
Number. | Tonnage. | Number Inspected. | Number Reported to be Defective. | Number of Orders issued. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
By the Medical Officer of Health. | By the Sanitary Inspector.* | ||||||
Foreign | Steamers | 10,441 | No Record | 983 | 12,730 | 148 | 71 |
Sailing | - | „ | - | 310 | 2 | 2 | |
Fishing | - | „ | - | - | - | - | |
Total Foreign | 10,441 | - | 983 | 13,040 | 150 | 73 | |
Coastwise | Steamers | No Record | No Record | — | 1,564 | 29 | 12 |
Sailing | „ | „ | - | 490 | 6 | 6 | |
Fishing | „ | „ | - | - | - | - | |
Total Coastwise | - | - | - | 2,054 | 35 | 18 | |
Total Foreign and Coastwise | 10,441 | - | 983 | 15,094 | 185 | 91 | |
* Includes repeated Inspections. |
TABLE XXXI.—F ORM B. RATS DESTROYED IN 1923.
Number of | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Total in Year. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black Rats | No Record | See Table No. XXV. | |||||||||||
Brown Rats | No Record | ||||||||||||
Rats examined:— | |||||||||||||
Black Rats | 25 | 21 | 28 | 48 | 119 | 90 | 71 | 58 | 65 | 98 | 93 | 94 | 810 |
Brown Rats | 36 | 27 | 45 | 75 | 76 | 122 | 107 | 69 | 59 | 101 | 117 | 70 | 904 |
Mice | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
Rats infected with plague | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Nil |
,, not infected | 61 | 48 | 73 | 123 | 195 | 212 | 178 | 127 | 124 | 199 | 210 | 164 | 1,714 |
Mice „ „ | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
In connection with Form C, it should be explained that the following procedure
in the Port of London supplies the data.
All vessels from foreign ports are visited by a Medical Officer. The questions
put by the Customs Officer and the answers made by the Master are heard by him
and all cases of reported sickness during the voyage examined or enquired into.
Ships from ports in the Eastern Hemisphere, south of latitude 45° N. (except
European ports west of longitude 20° E.), and ships from ports in the Western Hemisphere
south of latitude 30° N., are considered as from "infected ports" and are
boarded and examined whatever the report. Ports or rather coastlines containing
ports are added or exempted according to reports of the movement of infection.
Medical examination under this system, whether in spite of a negative or
because of a positive report of illness, has from time to time led to the detection of
serious conditions of infection.
On proceeding, these ships come again under scrutiny by a Sanitary Inspector
while in dock, special attention being given to those on which there has been
suspicious circumstance during the voyage.
The initiation of this form at a late date in the year implies its compilation
from records which are incomplete.