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16
Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. the boarding launch is regularly engaged in taking
either the Medical Officer or the Sanitary Inspector to ships, but during the night
she is only required for the medical inspection of incoming vessels. Thus the members
of the crew are usually able to get a reasonable amount of rest during their 24 hours
watch, and also have time to carry out running repairs and generally keep the launch
in good order.
The success of this scheme for the medical inspection of vessels entering the
Port of London depends on the willing and intelligent co-operation of Masters,
Pilots, Customs Officers, Medical Officers and Launch Crews, and it is gratifying to
be able to report that remarkably few difficulties have arisen and that, though Medical
Officers have had time for a more thorough examination of the vessels they have
boarded, no serious delay has been occasioned to any ship.
Cases of infectious disease are removed in the Port Sanitary Authority's motor
launch to the Authority's Isolation Hospital which is situated on the River bank
at Denton, just below Gravesend. This Hospital consists of an administrative block,
three ward blocks providing accommodation for 32 cases, a bathing and disinfecting
station, laundry, mortuary and post-mortem room, and a porter's cottage. When
it is deemed necessary for the prevention of the spread of infection, contacts are
removed to hospital for observation, or more commonly for bathing and disinfection
of their personal effects. The bathing station consists of an undressing room connected
with the infected side of the disinfector, four spray and two slipper baths and a dressing
room connected with the clean side of the disinfector. The whole building can be
kept thoroughly warm, so that contacts who have been through the baths can wait,
without discomfort, to receive their disinfected clothing.
A causeway runs from the Hospital down to the Eiver, and during the year
this has been raised in order to enable the new launch to go alongside for the landing
of patients.
When vessels arrive on which dangerous infectious disease has occurred, and
the period that has elapsed since the landing of the last case is less than the maximum
incubation period of the disease in question, not only are passengers and crew carefully
inspected, but their names and addresses are obtained and forwarded with the necessary
information to the Medical Officers of Health of the districts to which they are
proceeding. The addresses are carefully checked by the Medical Officer by personal
interrogation of each passenger and member of the crew, as passenger manifests and
crew articles are not sufficiently accurate. Those who are liable to change their
addresses within the prescribed period of surveillance are given postcards addressed
to the Port Medical Officer of Health, and told that they must notify promptly thereon
any change of address.
If time permits, infected quarters are put under disinfection by the Sanitary
Inspector, who removes the case in the Eiver, otherwise they are sealed and disinfected
by the Sanitary Inspector, who visits the vessel when she arrives at her berth.
The usual method of disinfection of quarters is spraying with Izal solution,
followed by fumigation with Sulphur Dioxide. Infected bedding, clothing, &c., is
removed by launch for disinfection at the Isolation Hospital.
Vessels proceeding up the Eiver Medway are dealt with by a part-time Medical
Officer from Sheerness, whose duty is to visit, as soon as possible, every vessel on
which sickness is reported by His Majesty's Customs, and to board within about
12 hours of arrival every other vessel from " foreign " remaining within the jurisdiction
of the Port of London Sanitary Authority.
Cases of infectious disease from such vessels would be removed to the Port
Sanitary Authority's Hospital at Denton.
The cleansing of persons can now be carried out efficiently and promptly at the
bathing and disinfecting station at the Authority's Hospital.