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"You may be aware that the general question of radio advice to ships at sea has been the
subject of international discussion at the International Labour Office Preparatory Technical
Maritime Conference held in London in September/October, 1956, and the services provided
by the medical organisations working in conjunction with the General Post Office coast radio
stations in the United Kingdom, as also those of certain other countries were commented
upon with appreciation.
"The voluntary participation in the scheme, in addition to their other professional duties
must we realise, cause considerable personal inconvenience from time to time to all concerned,
but they may be assured that their work is greatly valued by seafarers and by none
more than a Master who is fortified in his endeavours to treat a serious case of illness or
injury by the knowledge that skilled medical assistance is so readily available and willingly
given.
"My purpose in writing this letter is to ask you to convey to the medical staff of the hulk
"Hygeia" the thanks of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation for the valuable services
they have so kindly rendered in the past, and to place on record the Ministry's appreciation
of the interest shewn in the care and treatment of men who, by virtue of their calling,
are denied the facilities more readily available to persons ashore.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed) A.W. WOOD."
BOARDING MEDICAL OFFICERS
The Port of London Health Authority maintains a Boarding Station at the Hulk "Hygeia", moored
in the River Thames, off Gravesend, where there is a Medical Officer on duty twenty-four hours
every day throughout the year. For many years this service was maintained by three Medical
Officers performing 24 hours on duty followed by 43 hours off duty, holiday periods and absences
on account of sickness being covered by locum tenentes.
Of recent years increasing difficulty had been found in obtaining suitable locum tenentes for
the Boarding Medical Service, which apart from absence through sickness required coverage for
holidays alone for a period of three months in all every year. Fortunately it was found that a
group of five general practitioners in partnership in a district within reasonable distance of the
Gravesend Boarding Station would be willing to act as locum tenentes for the BoardingMedical
Service whenever required, whether for holiday periods or because of sickness. In addition to
their clinical efficiency they all have an interest in seafaring. The arrangement commenced in
March, 1956 and has proved a great success.
A year after the institution of the arrangement with the general practitioners the junior of the
three permanent Boarding Medical Officers resigned to take up another post in the public health
service, and the question arose of filling the vacancy. It was appreciated that the same factors
which had made it more difficult to obtain a suitable locum tenentes for the Boarding Medical
Service might make it more difficult to fill the permanent vacancy. It was felt at this time that
any doctors starting their career would be unwilling to take up the rather extreme degree of
specialisation involved in be coming a career Boarding Medical Officer. There were beginning to
be difficulties in obtaining recruits to any part of the public health service, and it seemed that
those that did want to enter it would not want to narrow down their experience to that of a Boarding
Medical Officer, in case they wanted to go on from that work to work of a more general
nature in the public health and school medical service. It was therefore decided, in consultation
with the authorities of the Essex County Council, to try an experiment to appoint two part time
Medical Officers to take the place of the one Boarding Medical Officer who had resigned, these
two part time Officers to spend the other part of their time working for the Essex County Council
on general duties connected with the Essex public health and school medical service.
The scheme has worked well, particularly as the firm of general practitioners are constantly
gaining experience and becoming themselves more like permanent Boarding Medical Officers.
The two part time Boarding Medical Officers first appointed have now left but they have, without
difficulty, been replaced.
The experiment remains one to be carried on without prejudice to the possibility of reverting to
the former system of three whole time Boarding Medical Officers if this should prove to be the
wiser choice in the long run.
SECTION X - OBSERVATIONS ON THE OCCURRENCE OF MALARIA ON SHIPS
Seven cases of malaria were reported on ships during the year under review as compared with
twenty-six cases during 1956. All the cases occurred amongst members of the crew. Five of the
cases were disposed of prior to the arrival of the vessels in the Port of London.
s.s. "SELBO" - MALARIA
On the 16th January, 1957, while the above-mentioned Norwegian vessel was lying at the
Gravesend Buoys, a member of the crew was taken ill and at the request of the Master, Dr. J.A.
Jones, the Boarding Medical Officer, visited the vessel and after examining the patient who had a
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