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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1925
[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. 1925. | Vessel. | Where lying. |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 1 | ss. "American Merchant" | Tilbury Dock. |
| ,, 5 | ss. "Verbania" | King George V. Dock. |
| „ 8 | ss. "American Banker" | Tilbury Dock. |
| „ 15 | ss. "American Farmer" | ,, |
| 22 | ss. "American Shipper" | |
| " 26 | ss. "Mississippi" | Royal Albert Dock. |
| „ 29 | ss. "American Trader" | Tilbury Dock. |
| Feb. 5 | ss. "American Merchant" | ,, |
| „ 12 | ss. "American Banker" | ,, |
| „ 13 | ss. "Northwestern Miller" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| „ 19 | ss. "American Farmer" | Tilbury Dock. |
| „ 27 | ss. "American Shipper" | ,, |
| Mar. 5 | ss. "American Trader" | ,, |
| „ 12 | ss. "American Merchant" | ,, |
| „ 26 | ss. "American Farmer" | ,, |
| April 2 | ss. "American Shipper" | ,, |
| May 6 | ss. "Minnewaska" | Royal Albert Dock. |
| „ 20 | ss. "Minnetonka" | King George V. Dock. |
| 22 | ss. "Vellavia" | ,, |
| June 6 | ss. "Vardulia" | Royal Albert and Victoria Docks. |
| „ 19 | ss. "Virgilia" | Royal Albert Dock. |
| July 1 | ss. "Antonia" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| „ 2 | ss. "Barbadian" | Royal Albert Dock. |
| „ 15 | ss. "Ausonia" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| „ 16 | ss. "Valacia" | King George V. Dock. |
| „ 17 | ss. "Brecon" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| ,, 27 | ss. "Hobson's Bay" | King George V. Dock. |
| Aug. 12 | ss. "London Exchange" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| „ 14 | ss. "Largs Bay" | King George V. Dock. |
| Sept. 7 | ss. "Esperence Bay" | ,, |
| Oct. 2 | ss. "Moreton Bay" | ,, |
| „ 7 | ss. "London Mariner" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| ,, 15 | ss. "American Trader" | Tilbury Dock. |
| ,, 22 | ss. "American Merchant" | ,, |
| ,, 22 | ss. "London Commerce" | Surrey Commercial Dock. |
| ,, 26 | ss. "Scythian" | Royal Albert Dock. |
| „ 27 | ss. "Jervis Bay" | King George V. Dock. |
| „ 29 | ss. "American Banker" | Tilbury Dock. |
| Nov. 12 | ss. "American Farmer" | ,, |
| „ 19 | ss. "American Trader" | ,, |
| „ 20 | ss. "Hobson's Bay" | King George V. Dock. |
| „ 26 | ss. "American Banker" | Tilbury Dock. |
| Dec. 3 | ss. "American Merchant" | ,, |
| ,, 7 | ss. "Menominee" | Royal Albert Dock. |
| ,, 16 | ss. "Largs Bay" | King George V. Dock. |
| „ 21 | ss. "American Farmer" | Tilbury Dock. |
| „ 23 | ss. "American Trader" | ,, |
| „ 31 | ss. "American Banker" | ,, |
These certificates are issued in agreement with requirements of the United
States of America. The certificates exonerate ships from routine fumigation in
instances acceptable to the Consulate of the United States of America.
THE RAT-PROOFING OF VESSELS.
An important article on the rat-proofing of ships which I excerpted, as below,
came to my notice through the Bureau of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases:—
By S. B. Grubles, Surgeon, and B. E. Holsendorff, Pharmacist, United States Public
Health Services.
To prepare a ship for fumigation is a partial rat-proofing. From this operation the
authors evolved a complete system of rat-proofing of ships.
For a demonstration one of the largest passenger vessels was chosen.
Before beginning the work of rat-proofing, conditions on the vessel were studied for
months; observation and trapping of rats allowed their habits to be charted with reasonable
accuracy. As rat-proofing progressed, trapping results fell to zero. The rats had been
practically eradicated.