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from a Foreign Port no person other than a Pilot, a Customs Officer, an Immigration
Officer, or a person acting in the execution of these Regulations
shall, without the permission of the Medical Officer or other authorised Officer
of a Port Health Authority, board or leave the ship until it is free from control
under these Regulations, and the Master shall take all steps necessary to
secure compliance with this provision".
M.T. MORGAN
Medical officer of Health,
Port of London.
??? Name of ship as one word. Time on 24 hour clock.
The present practice at Gravesend is that every vessel from 'foreign' is hailed
by His Majesty's Customs. When a ship is boarded by one of your Medical
Officers, he collects the Declaration of Health. The Customs Officers take the
forms from the ships which are not medically inspected and the Boarding Medical
Officer collects them daily, usually first thing in the morning when he makes up
the list of vessels that have arrived during his 24 hour period of duty. The days
batch of forms are then posted to the Central Office together with the Medical
Officer's other records and reports.
At Sheerness the Declarations of Health are collected by the Medical Officer
or the Customs and forwarded by the former with his weekly report.
Boarding of Vessels on Arrival -
The Port Health Authority maintain at Gravesend a hulk, the "HYGEIA" on which
the Boarding Medical Officers live during their tour of duty. The Boarding launch
"HOWARD DEIGHTON", which has an ambulance room on deck, lies alongside the
"Hygeia".
There are three Boarding Medical Officers and three crews for the launch,
each having 24 hours afloat and 48 hours ashore. Ships are boarded at any time of
the day or night, as soon as they arrive off Gravesend. The "Hygeia" is connected
by an underwater cable to the telephone cables ashore and in accordance with the
requirements set out in the Declaration of Health, wireless messages sent from an
incoming vessel are picked up by the North Foreland Radio Station and transmitted
by land cable to the "Hygeia".
The Customs also maintain a launch constantly on duty in this reach of the
River, and it is here also that the deep sea pilot hands over to the river pilot,
Thus all three services are in close touch with one another.
When the boarding launch is undergoing overhaul or is, by any other reason
temporarily out of commission, the Medical Officer boards from the Customs launch,
by courtesy of His Majesty's Customs.
During this period an up-river launch is sent to Gravesend to enable the
Sanitary Inspector on the lower river district to carry out his duties and remove
any case of infectious sickness to hospital. During the latter part of the year
your Worshipful Committee has had under consideration the purchase of an additional
launch for duty on the Gravesend Station, such a launch to be capable of replacing
the "Howard Deighton" while out of commission and thus avoiding the necessity of
sending an up-river launch to Gravesend. At other times this launch would be
available to the Inspector on the lower river and Gravesend district.
Reference is made above to the use of the Customs launch for boarding by the
Medical Officer but although the Customs are most generous and courteous in giving
every possible facility, their primary duty is to hail and grant pratique to every
incoming vessel from 'foreign', consequently they frequently cannot stand by while
the Boarding Medical Officer inspects a number of passengers and a large crew or
carefully examines cases of sickness which may be of an infectious nature. It is,
therefore, obviously desirable that the Medical Officer should always have his own
launch so that he can have time to do his work thoroughly without feeling that he
is delaying the Customs Officers and making it difficult for them to carry out their
own duties.
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