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The central office of the Port of London Health Authority should continue as a distinct Department
exercising supervision over the routine work of the Authority and, at the same time, if necessary with an
augmented staff, effecting, co-ordinating and supervising the necessary liaison between the Authority and
the Port of London Authority.
In addition to his normal duties your Medical Officer of Health should, it is thought, be permitted
considerable liberty of action. He will endeavour generally to supervise the organisation at Gravesend,
though it will obviously be necessary to have a responsible Medical Officer, carefully chosen, to direct the
work on the spot. The organisation and supervision of food inspection and of inspection of cargoes from
the point of view of contamination will obviously require administrative control, and this will be another
principal preoccupation of your Medical Officer of Health.
(Signed) M. T. MORGAN,
Medical Officer of Health of Port of London.
Copy of Memorandum by Rear-Admiral R. Oldham, Air-raid Precautions Officer to the Port of
London Authority.
I am in general agreement with Dr. Morgan's Memorandum and the remarks which follow aim at setting
out a skeleton organisation rather than a criticism of the views expressed.
General.
I think that the Port Anti-gas Service should be made a part of the Port Medical Service. There
seems to be no point in divided control, the work is almost entirely medical and sanitary, and it would be
better to expand an existing organisation rather than set up a rival alongside it, however close the
co-operation may be. If this arrangement is agreed to, it would, of course, be understood that the Port of
London Authority would give every assistance in their power in the development and working of the
organisation.
With regard to cost, I think the first requirement is to produce a practical arrangement and refer it
to the Government for consideration with regard to cost. It would appear that ships which become
contaminated by gas are in exactly the same position as ships and cargoes which may be subjected to any
other form of enemy action in war and the cost of any services in connection with gas should be met in the
same way as salvage operations for dealing with damage due to shell fire or mine.
Incoming Ships.
It is proposed that Denton Hospital should act as a base for the service at Gravesend. The contaminated
anchorage is handy, and there appears to be sufficient accommodation both at the Hospital and at the
Hulk " Hygeia " to provide for medical and anti-gas requirements, staff, cleansing, first-aid facilities, etc.
The procedure visualised is that a ship would arrive at the examination anchorage and would be required
to hoist a signal similar to L.I.M. if the ship or her cargo had been exposed to gas. It would probably be
necessary to tighten up the existing regulations and make it necessary for the master to hoist a signal for
medical assistance if he had any form of illness on board, including the results of accident or injury, as this
may be the only means of detecting slight contamination.
An affected ship would then be ordered to go to the decontamination anchorage, where she would be
inspected, the inspecting party consisting of Medical Officer and Orderly, Gas Detection Officer and
Inspector.
The following action would be required
(1) Decide on extent of contamination.
(2) Land medical and cleansing cases at Denton Hospital.
(3) If material contamination affects the ship only, it will probably be possible to decontaminate
her on the spot. If so, parties would be sent to deal with her or to assist the crew to do so.
(4) If the cargo is contaminated the ship will probably have to be discharged at a special berth,
but in any case she must be decontaminated sufficiently to make her reasonably safe for normal
handling before proceeding.
In certain cases where ships' cargo is badly contaminated, it might be desirable to discharge one
or more holds into barges or hoppers in the River and dump the affected cargo at sea.
There would seem to be no point in taking cargo into the Docks when it is evident that it will
have to be destroyed.
Dock Services.
In each dock system there are at present:—
Food Inspector;
Sanitary Inspector;
Rat Searchers.
These are fully trained men, and with the Food Inspector in charge could inspect all suspect cargoes on
arrival.
The contaminated ship, having been made reasonably safe at the contamination anchorage, would
proceed to the docks with an Inspector from Gravesend on board, who would report the situation to the
Food Inspector, and a decision would be arrived at on the action to be taken.