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15
The scheme has worked very satisfactorily, but several improvements could
be effected in the Form of Declaration of Health. The instructions should be put
before the questions, as masters frequently do not read the part of the form below
the point where they have to sign it. Question 1 (a) would be better divided into two
questions, as it has been taken to mean "have you any cases of infectious sickness
as to the nature of which you are in doubt?" with the result that answer " No "
has been given when there have been on board cases of the less serious infectious
diseases which have been diagnosed with complete confidence by the ship's surgeon
or the master.
The list of scheduled ports is large, but it is impossible to notify frequent changes
in the list to Pilots, and so long as every effort is made to avoid unnecessary delay
to healthy ships, no difficulty arises.
The instructions should be modified to provide for the repeated flashing of
letter "Q" from the Morse lamp at night.
The Medical Officers usually go off to those vessels only which report in accordance
with the above instructions. The wireless messages give several hours' notice of the
time at which a vessel is expected, and the launch is therefore available for the
Sanitary Inspector on the LoAver River District to visit vessels lying at Wharves,
so long as he returns to "Hygeia" before the notified time of arrival of the next
ship requiring to be dealt with by the Medical Officer. When the launch leaves
her moorings without the Medical Officer on board, the Preventive Officer of
His Majesty's Customs is informed either verbally or by hoisting pennant "C" on
the "Hygeia," then, if a vessel requiring medical inspection arrives unexpectedly,
the Customs launch takes the Medical Officer off to board her. The Customs Officers
hail all incoming ships and if they discover a ship which requires to be cleared by
the Medical Officer but which has failed to report, they instruct the Master to hoist
the flag signal "LIM" by day, and flash the light signal "Q" at night, and to blow
"Q" on the siren. Pratique can only by granted by His Majesty's Customs, therefore,
if a Medical Officer clears a ship before the Customs arrive, he leaves with the Master
a copy of the following form:—
PORT OP LONDON SANITARY AUTHORITY.
To the Preventive Officer,
His Majesty's Customs.
This is to certify that I have examined the
and that I find no medical reasons for
withholding pratique.
Signed
Boarding Medical Officer.
Date
The Preventive Officers are requested to detain ships from the scheduled ports
until they have been medically inspected, but in practice the Customs Officers and
the Medical Officers are in close touch, and formal detention is rarely necessary.
Moreover, if, by reason of the state of the tide, time is important to the ship, she is
allowed to proceed slowly up river while the Medical Officer completes his inspection,
the launch following ready to take the doctor off as soon as he has finished.
The "Howard Deighton" is on duty night and day, there being three crews,
each having a watch of 24 hours, followed by 48 hours off duty, but, during holiday
periods and in case of illness, reliefs for the men of one crew who are away must be
provided by the other two crews. Also when special work is necessary on any of the
Port Sanitary Authority's launches, additional men must be supplied by one of the
crews off duty.