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(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 cons dered 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 three part card on one section 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. A third section of the card they are asked
to keep and use only if they change their address during a specified period — usually the incubation
period of the disease in question. This section of the card is on the "Business Reply
Card" system so that it does not have to be stamped.
(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. If, however, the space requiring disinfection is large, a private firm is employed
which carries out disinfection under the supervision of the Sanitary Inspector.
Although Denton Hospital has been taken over by the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital
Board, the Disinfection Station, containing a Washington Lyons Steam Disinfector, is
available to the Port Health Authority for the disinfection of clothing, bedding, etc., and for the
cleansing of cases of scabies.
SECTION VII - SMALLPOX
(1) Name of Isolation Hospital to which smallpox cases are sent from the district.
Denton Hospital is situated on the south bank of the River about a mile below Gravesend. The
hospital buildings comprise a small administrative block and nurses home, three ward blocks (one
a cubicle ward with eight cubicles), a laundry, a disinfection station, a porter's cottage and a
mortuary. Cases can be landed from the ambulance launch at a pontoon, available at all states of
the tide, and from which they can be wheeled straight into the hospital via a ramp which connects
the pontoon with the shore.
In the event of a case or cases of smallpox one of the ward blocks (the smallpox block) could
be opened for the reception and nursing of patients. Alternatively, patients may be removed to
other approved hospitals under the management of the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital
Board, usually Long Reach Smallpox Hospital, Dartford.
(2) Arrangements for transport of such cases to that hospital by ambulance giving the name of
the Authority responsible for the ambulance and the vaccinal state of the ambulance crews.
The removal of a case or cases from a vessel to Denton Hospital would be carried out by the
by the Port Health Authority's Ambulance Launch and that Authority would be responsible for the
vaccinal state of the ambulance crew.
In the case of patients removed to other isolation hospitals the responsible body would be the
South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
(3) Names of smallpox consultants available.
Dr. W. T. Boul Dr. J. P. Marsden
Dr. W. J. Coughlan Dr. M. T. Mitman
Dr. H. S. Banks Dr. J. W. Armstrong
(4) Facilities for laboratory diagnosis of smallpox.
Facilities are available at the Virus Laboratory of the Central Public Health Laboratory at
Colindale.
SECTION vm - VENEREAL DISEASES
The Venereal Diseases are not compulsorily notifiable but efforts are made to bring to the
the notice of all seamen using the Port, the facilities for free treatment under the Brussels
Agreement.
When the Medical Officers board ships on arrival they always enquire whether there are any
cases of venereal disease on board. Should there be a known case, the infected person's attention
is drawn to the importance of obtaining skilled treatment as soon as possible and he is
given a list of the Clinics near the ship's berth in London and the times at which cases may
attend.
Similarly the Sanitary Inspectors have a supply of pamphlets listing the names and addresses
of places where treatment is available. This notice is printed in 21 different languages and is
posted up at vantage points throughout the whole dock area.
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