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7
SHEERNESS BOARDING STATION.
(Medical Inspection at Sheerness.)
An agreement entered into in 1895 between the Port of London Sanitary
Authority and the Rochester Port Sanitary Authority provided for the examination
and inspection of every ship or vessel arriving at or off Garrison Point in the
River Medway, including day and night boats arriving at Queenborough, by
a Medical Officer appointed by the Port of London Sanitary Authority.
This agreement was terminated in July, 1925, following the retirement of
Dr. Legge, the Boarding Medical Officer at Sheerness.
Temporary arrangements had been in force with Dr. F. H. Watson, of Sheerness,
to carry out the minimum duties in connection with declared Infectious
Disease on incoming ships, and the Port of London Sanitary Committee explored
the position in consultation with the Rochester Port Sanitary Authority and
the Ministry of Health, with a view to finding a satisfactory method of securing
the inspection of every vessel from foreign ports entering and remaining in the
Port of London Sanitary Authority's jurisdiction.
With the approval of the Ministry of Health and the Rochester Port Sanitary
Authority, an arrangement has now been made by which the Port of London
Sanitary Authority continues its legal duties without withdrawing the protection
it has successfully afforded to the Port of Rochester and the country at large at
this point, on the following lines:-
Dr. F. H. Watson, of Sheerness, to act as Temporary Assistant to your Medical
Officer of Health for the Sheerness District.
His Majesty's Customs, as being the Authority on which the duty of detaining
ships " infected " or " suspected " of Cholera, Yellow Fever or Plague primarily
devolves, is in close touch with the Medical Officer acting in the Port of London
Sanitary Authority's district in the River Medway, and will notify to him all declared
cases of sickness on ships entering the Medway, whether bound for Rochester or
the Sheerness—Queenboro' district.
The duties of the Medical Practitioner acting for the Medical Officer of Health
of the Port of London have been detailed as follows:-
1. To visit, examine and report to the office of the Port of London Sanitary Authority on
every case of illness on an incoming ship brought to his notice by His Majesty's
Customs whenever the ship is detained for his inspection.
2. To visit every ship remaining in the Port of London Sanitary Authority's jurisdiction
within about twelve hours of arrival and report to the office of the Port of London
Sanitary Authority on the health of the crew thereon.
In case of non-infectious illness or a clean ship, the report to consist of a note
in the remarks column of the arrival sheet.
In case of infectious illness, the report to be in the first instance by telephone
to the Hulk " Hygeia " and then by a written report on the form provided, to the
Port of London Sanitary Authority, fully setting out the circumstances of the case.
3. To obtain from His Majesty's Customs by constant touch with the " Quarantine Officer "
a list of arrivals from Foreign Ports and forward them (weekly) to the Office of
the Port of London Sanitary Authority.
4. To notify by telegram to the Medical Officer of Health of the Port of Rochester every
case of illness brought to the notice of the Port of London Sanitary Authority's
Medical Officer on incoming ships which pass through the Port of Rochester,
whether examined or unexamined by him, and note the fact on the arrival sheet.
In the event of the removal of cases of Infectious Disease from the district
of the Port of Rochester to the isolation hospital of the Port of London Sanitary
Authority, at the request of the former Authority a charge will be made.