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17
MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Medical inspection (see Appendix B), both at Gravesend and Sheerness,
continues to be satisfactory.
I would remind your Committee that this medical inspection is carried out
in conjunction with the Officers of H.M. Customs. It is true that the
presence of your Medical Officer relieves the Customs Officers of much
responsibility which they should not be expected to bear, but as the transport
is provided by H.M. Customs, much expense thereby is saved to the
Corporation.
I desire to recognise the extreme courtesy and ready assistance which I
have always received from J. C. Elliott, Esq., the Inspector of Waterguard,
H.M. Customs, Gravesend, as, indeed, from all officers of that body with which
I have come in contact.
At Gravesend the number of vessels medically inspected was 1,668, which
is above the mean for the five preceding years (see Table A).
This is owing to the larger number of ports treated as infected.
The vessels medically inspected carried passengers to the number of 2,385,
and crews 64,443.
At Sheerness the number of vessels for the year was 244 (exclusive of
Flushing-Queenboro' mail boats). The vessels carried 115 passengers.
Handbills relating to the mooring of infected vessels below Gravesend, and
to signals by vessels approaching Sheerness, have been circulated during the
year, as follows :—
THAMES CONSERVANCY.
NOTICE TO PERSONS IN CHARGE OF VESSELS.
Notice is Hereby Given that vessels required by the Port of
London Sanitary Authority to be disinfected are to lie at the lower buoy
in Gravesend Reach, and Masters and Pilots are requested to moor
quarantine vessels accordingly.
By Order,
R. PHILIPSON, Secretary.
Thames Conservancy Office,
Victoria Embankment, E.C.
2nd December, 1901.