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"The newly appointed Medical Officers and Sanitary Inspectors had ample scope for hard work
and enthusiasm. Of course, no organisation could ever function in a progressive society without
exposing some form of imperfection. In spite of all the limitations and the relatively intolerable
sanitary conditions then encountered aboard ships and in the ports, these few officials tackled
their assignments quite undismayed and acquitted themselves in a manner worthy of admiration.
"The new era confronted them with arduous and extraordinary experiences, where unruly crews
and floating slum conditions were not exceptional circumstances and their conveyance from one
ship to another was almost entirely dependent on the open rowing boat and their legs.
"Fortified with statutory powers and established firmly on the foundations of the earlier quarantine
principles, the constituted Port Sanitary Authority was charged with the primary responsibility
of ascertaining andintercepting infectious diseases and eliminating any conditions deemed
as nuisances and prejudicial to health.
"Coinciding with this commitment, the officers of H.M. Customs retained the right to withhold
'pratique' from ships arriving from certain foreign ports until the Port Medical Officer had satisfied
himself concerning the health conditions present and prevailing over the voyage. Pending
his decision, the ship had to be denied any contact with the shore or any unauthorised person,
even to the extent of being ordered to isolation at a designated anchorage to undergo a form of
quarantine procedure. Discharging these measures effectively has always required the closest
collaboration between H.M. Customs and the Port Sanitary Authority.
"The authorities were also made responsible for the provision of adequate means to transport
and isolate infectious patients as well as the immediate contacts who were to be detained for a
period of medical surveillance. They were obliged to make available a steam disinfector installation
to sterilise infected bedding and articles of clothing, and possess equipment to disinfect
the appropriate spaces aboard ship.
"Briefly, it was the responsibility of the Port Medical Officer to determine the nature of any
disease and arrange for the hospital treatment and surveillance; whereas the Port Sanitary Inspector,
acting directly under his instructions, was responsible for the movement of the patient,
contacts, bedding, etc. and the disinfecting of the infected accommodation. The Sanitary In spector
had the additional responsibility of controlling nuisances and conditions prejudicial to health
ashore and afloat and of inspecting imported food as occasion required. In this connection and
for the purposes of the Public Health Acts, a ship must be considered a house and the Master as
the Occupier, providing the vessel is not in charge of an Officer bearing H.M. Commission or is
the property of a foreign government.
(b) Additional Responsibilities
"With the course of time, the statutory provisions were changed and the range of activity
increased. Legislation relating to rats and mice, handling and transport of meat, preservatives in
food, control of shellfish, all added to the duties of Port Sanitary Authorities. A significant
international movement culminated in the signing and ratifying by no less than forty-four countries
of the International Sanitary Convention, 1926 whereby Port Sanitary Authorities were committed
to a more vigorous participation in the control of rats, particularly aboard foreign-going ships.
In order to give further effect to this Convention, and consolidate certain other regulations in
force at the seaports, new regulations became statutory and titled as The Port Sanitary Regulations,
1933 to be exercised by all Port Sanitary Authorities in the United Kingdom. Subsequently,
there came into being the Public Health Act, 1936 to bolster public health from the national aspect
and it will be particularly identified as the Act which changed the designation of the Port
Sanitary Authority to Port Health Authority.
"While these variations were in progress, another important change in transportation was
taking place. The volume of air traffic was intensifying and in the year 1933 a comparable code
of practice was drafted as a Convention and presented for signature at the Hague. Unfortunately,
only a few countries, including the United Kingdom, appended their signatures to this Aerial
Navigation Convention 1933 which set the pace for public health control at the airports.
II. PORT HEALTH AUTHORITIES
"Whatever the significance in the change of title as far as seaports are concerned, this change
did occur at a time immediately preceding a distinct improvement in the influence and activities
of the Port Health Authorities. The labours of the past, added to the increasing pressure of the
times, brought fresh rewards. Whether or not attributable to the zealous efforts of Port Health
Authorities, but certainly to their influence, there was a particular revival of sanitation consciousness
in the British shipping industry which is still very much in evidence today and has provided
seafarers with living and sanitation conditions that contrast enormously with those of the not
very distant past. Appropriate improvements have developed simultaneously in connection with
port installations, although the stages of advancement may vary considerably from place to place.
"In the sphere of food inspection, the regulations which became operative in 1937 have proved
very useful in spite of some limitations. Subsequently, the legal provisions appertaining to pest
control and the new health regulations applicable at the seaports and airports, enabling effective
interception of diseases associated with international travel, have strengthened further the
organised health defensive measures.
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