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14
The scheme hangs fire on account of the position taken up by the London
School Board, which, while (as I believe) properly insisting upon the fact
that the Port Sanitary Committee is the right authority to provide Hospital
accommodation, demurs to any arrangement whereby payment is demanded
except when the Hospital is actually used by them.
Clearly it is the duty of every public Institution to arrange for isolation of
infectious cases. The School Board is unable to provide this on board (as
isolation is there impossible), nor can it be obtained on shore.
They therefore seek to make an arrangement with the Corporation. The
Corporation has already decided to assist them in their difficulty, but it is not
reasonable to expect this, unless payment be made to defray the cost of
erections, &c.
The Committee of the "Worcester" has agreed to such an arrangement,
which is only waiting for the final decision of the School Board to be carried
into effect.
While negotiations are going on, the cases from these two vessels are being
received at Gravesend. This, however, is merely provisional, and may at any
time be stopped if the strain upon our limited accommodation becomes too
great.
One important point in considering this question must not be lost sight of,
viz. :—that the Corporation of the City of London voluntarily pays all the
expenses of the Sanitary administration of the Port out of the City Cash
(having no rates or tolls on shipping for the purpose), while the London
School Board has unlimited powers of raising money from the ratepayers for
the purpose of carrying on its work.
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
This Act, which has now been in force for twelve months, works very
satisfactorily and practically without any friction. Beyond this Act, which
requires notification simply forthwith without any special limitation as to place
and time, notification of disease on board an inward bound ship by the
Master on arrival at Gravesend is compulsory under the regulations of the
Port Sanitary Authority.
These regulations were amended and re-issued during July (see Appendix ).
They require the Master to report infectious disease on arrival to the
Medical Officer of Health ( Section 3) and to cause his vessel to remain off the
Custom House until the Medical Officer of Health has boarded her (Section 4).
They further (Section 5) require the Master to remove the patient to the
Port Sanitary Hospital if so directed by the Medical Officer of Health, and,
finally (Section 6), require notice to be given if the disease appear after
leaving Gravesend.