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8
5, Church Passage,
Guildhall, E.C. 2,
January, 1930.
TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE PORT OF LONDON SANITARY COMMITTEE.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit herewith my Annual Report as Medical Officer
of Health of the Port of London.
The tonnage of vessels entering the Port of London during 1929 was 28,911,898,
showing an increase of 1,170,164 tons over that for the previous year. Of the
15,932 vessels arriving from foreign ports, 1,952 vessels, carrying 73,050 passengers
and 58,996 members of crews, were boarded and inspected by your Medical Officers.
Three hundred and sixty-four vessels arrived, on which there were, or had
occurred during the voyage, a total of 573 cases of notifiable infectious disease.
The number of these cases actually landed in the Port was 233, of which 87 were
removed to the Port Sanitary Authority's Hospital at Denton. The remainder
were sent to other hospitals or were allowed to proceed home.
No cases of Plague arrived, and no Plague-infected rats were found on shore or
on ships in the Port. The arrangements described on page 19 should lead to the
prompt detection of any sign of the existence of rodent Plague, and in this, as in
other respects, you are fully discharging your obligations under the International
Sanitary Convention of 1926.
Sixteen vessels on which 22 cases of Small-pox had occurred entered the Port,
and 4 cases were removed to your Isolation Hospital, one of which, being a very
virulent form of this disease, proved fatal.
An epidemic of Typhoid Fever occurred on one vessel, 10 cases being treated
at your Hospital, where two died. The disease was apparently introduced by
a passenger who was infected ashore, but it was not found possible to explain how
the infection was communicated to the other patients.
One case of Psittacosis, a ship's carpenter, was removed to your Hospital, where
he recovered.
A new bathing and disinfecting station was erected at your Hospital, which will
prove of great value in facilitating the bathing of contacts with Small-pox and other
diseases and the disinfection of their clothing and effects. A new mortuary and
post-mortem room was also provided.
Your Sanitary Inspectors made 15,616 inspections of vessels and 5,450 inspections
of shore premises. Orders to cleanse crew's quarters were made on 1,417 vessels,
and it was found necessary to call for structural alterations and repairs on 703 vessels.
Orders to remedy structural defects were made in respect of 50 shore premises.
Thirty-five Statutory Notices were issued, as shown in Appendix XXXIV. The
number of vessels fumigated for rat destruction, under the supervision of your
Inspectors, was 214, and 3,208 rats were thus destroyed. In addition, 5,327 rats
were trapped on ships and 9,370 on shore in the Port.
Two hundred and twenty-three Certificates of Deratisation and 202 of Exemption
from Deratisation were issued, in accordance with the terms of Article 28 of the
International Sanitary Convention of 1926.