London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Port of London 1912

Report for the year ended 31st December 1912 of the Medical Officer of Health for the Port of London

This page requires JavaScript

71
SANITARY INSPECTION.
In Table XXXII. is given a summary of the work of sanitary inspection as carried out
by the Inspectors throughout the Port. From this Table it will be seen that the total
number of visits of inspection throughout the year was 43,212. Of this number 15,177
were to vessels from foreign ports; 5,418 were to "coastwise" vessels; 19,325 to
barges and other craft engaged in traffic within the Port, while 4,292 inspections were of
workplaces, sanitary conveniences and other premises on shore. Of the total number of
vessels inspected 2,938 required cleansing as regards crew's quarters, while nuisances
generally, including the above, to the total of 4,648, were discovered and dealt with
during the year. These are dealt with in greater detail in Tables XXXIII-IV.,
relating to Nuisances.
From the list of Nationalities (Table XXXII.), it will be seen that the greater
number of vessels inspected were, as usual, British. Of foreign nationalities, the
majority were Swedish and Norwegian with 14.41 per cent., Germany being second with
9.31 percent., other nationalities being in lesser proportion.
Of the total number of vessels inspected, 13,931 were visited in the steam launches,
while 24,989 inspections were made in the docks.
NUISANCES.
The total number of Nuisances reported during the year was 4,684—see Tables
XXXIII-IV. Of these 4,061 were on vessels, 585 related to premises on shore, while 2
were in relation to the river itself.
Of the nuisances on ships, by far the larger number, 2,954, were from the dirty
condition of the crew's quarters. This is a constantly recurring offence, and it will not
be, of course, satisfactorily remedied until there is some radical alteration in the habits
of firemen and seamen.
Foul bilges and forepeaks accounted for 223, and defective ventilation, lighting and
heating for 349. Leaky decks, hawsepipes, etc., 116, and 14 arose from the condensation
on bare iron bulkheads and floors. Complaints of the insanitary condition of closets and
similar conveniences numbered 26.
Smoke nuisances from vessels totalled 240. This class of nuisance is coming under
control and in practically all cases an intimation is sufficient to produce an immediate
abatement.
It will be noticed that only one case of recurrence was reported. With regard to
shore premises, the number of Smoke Nuisances reported was 30 and no case of
recurrence was reported. The total number of nuisances in respect of shore premises
was 585, and of this number 509 related to premises in generally dirty and insanitary
condition, not necessitating any Structural Alterations.
The Sanitary Works and Alterations, Table XXXV., were all carried out under
the immediate supervision of your officers, plans being submitted to your Committee in
practically every case. No serious difficulty has arisen in connection with any of this
work, but I am still of opinion that the powers of the Authority in this direction need
strengthening, and that the existing conditions relative to sanitary conveniences and the
disposal of refuse in the docks are far from satisfactory.
The docks employ a considerable working population, most of whom spend the
entire hours of labour within the dock gates, and it is, therefore, important that there
should be no lack of conveniences for all classes, and that these should be in accordance
with the public health standards of the neighbouring districts for people of a similar
class.