London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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Assistant Superintendent, Gravesend.
Chief Preventive Officer, Sheerness.
Preventive Officers—Rochester, Chatham Dockyard and Ridham Dock.
1. The list of infected areas, referred to as the "listed areas" below (Customs Code, Vol. 4, Part 4, para. 3) is given on page 4 of the London Declaration of Health Form.
2. The Medical Officer of Health, Port of London Health Authority, requests the application of the following procedure as from the 1st March, 1947.
| Classification of ship C.C., Vol. 4, Pt. 4, paras. 5 & 6. | Answers given to questions on the Declaration of Health Form. | If vessel has come from a "listed area" within six weeks of her arrival at Sheerness. | Customs Procedure. |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) All foreign-going ships other than Tankers. | All in the negative | No. | Issue Certificate of Pratique. |
| (2) Do. | If any are in the affirmative, or | Yes | Inform the Master that he is not to allow any unauthorised person to leave the ship without the Medical Officer's permission. Issue Modified Pratique and allow vessel to proceed to her berth. In the most expeditious manner possible notify Dr. Madwar in the case of ships berthing at Sheerness or Dr. Murray in the case of ships proceeding direct to Rochester. |
| (3) Foreign-going ships. Tankers. | Are all in the negative. | Can be disregarded | Issue Certificate of Pratique. |
| (4) Do. | If any are in the affirmative. | Can be disregarded | As in the case of ships at (2) above. |
| (5) Home Trade ships. | If a written Declartion of Health is taken and any answer is in the affirmative. | As in the case of ships at (2) above. |
From the heading of Column 3 it will be seen that the fact that a ship has come from a "listed
area" before six weeks of her arrival here can also be disregarded.
As regards ships shown at (2) (4) and (5) it will facilitate matters if a full Certificate of Pratique
is left under cover on board addressed to the Doctor for him to hand to the Master in due course.
(Signed) C. R. PURSER,
Waterguard, Superintendent.
Custom House, London, E.C.3.
5. Arrangements for—
(а) Hospital accommodation for infectious diseases (other than smallpox—see Section VII).
Denton Hospital having been transferred to the Seamen's Group of Hospitals attached to the
South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, arrangements have been made for a patient or
patients suffering from an infectious disease to be removed to Denton Hospital, pending arrangement s
for the transference of such cases to the appropriate hospital under the management of the South-East
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
(b) Surveillance and follow up of contacts.
In the event of a vessel arriving on which there is or has been a case or cases of a major infectious
disease, all persons on board are considered to be possible contacts.
Such persons are individually interrogated as to the address to which they are proceeding immediately
on disembarkation and given a specially prepared double post-card on one half of which they
give full details of their names and addresses. These particulars, together with an appropriate note
of the circumstances are then forwarded to the Medical Officers of Health of the districts in which the
contacts' address is situated. The other half of the card they are asked to keep and use only should
they change their address during a specified period, usually the incubation period of the disease in
question. This half of the card is on the "Business Reply Card" system so that the person concerned
does not have to stamp it.
(c) Cleansing and disinfection of ships, persons, clothing and other articles.
Disinfection of infected quarters is usually carried out by the Sanitary Inspector in whose area
the vessel berths. Should, however, the space requiring disinfection be large, a private firm is employed
who carries out the disinfection under the supervision of the Sanitary Inspector.
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