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departure, including the stay of vessel in such port of departure. The Medical
Officer of this Authority will then relieve the Master of the responsibility of
deciding whether the case is of an infectious nature. Vessels from Infected
Ports must bring to at the Boarding Station, and no person allowed to land
pending the visit of the Medical Officer of Health, who, at his discretion, will
have every person on board mastered for inspection. This applies, without
exception, to Asiatic crews and passengers on such vessels, and all persons on
such vessels not carrying a Surgeon. The Master should be instructed to
have a list containing the names and addresses of all persons leaving such ship
in the Port of London ; this must be handed to the visiting Medical Officer
on board the vessel. Should there be a case of infectious disease on board, the
vessel must anchor opposite the Hospital of the Port Sanitary Authority at
Denton. Vessels are cleared in the order of their arrival as far as practicable,,
and much inconvenience is often caused by vessels astern passing those ahead
in the hope of being cleared first. Such action should be discountenanced.
If Pilots will be good enough to see that the above instructions are observed,
and, in the case of infected or suspected vessels, have the crew and passengers
(if any) mustered on the deck of the vessel, much valuable time will be
saved, and the vessel enabled to proceed without appreciable delay.
Sheerness District.
A Medical Officer is stationed at Sheerness for the purpose of visiting, with
H.M. Coastguard, all vessels coming "from foreign" As the Medical Officer
requires at least ten minutes' notice so as to get to the Boarding Station in
time to accompany the Officers of H.M. Coastguard, the Pilots should be
instructed to hoist the National Ensign by day and at night a White Light on
Port bow on entering the Port of London, which is represented by a line
drawn from Havengore Creek in Essex to Warden Point in the Isle of
Sheppey.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
Table IV. shows (a) the total number of cases of Infectious Disease reported
during the year, and (b) the total number treated in the Port Sanitary
Hospital, for each of the five years ending the 31st December, 1902, with the
mean annual number for that period, and the total number of cases for the year
ending 31st December, 1903.