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MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AFFORDED TO SHIPPING BY THE PORT HEALTH STAFF
The Bearding Medical Officers and indeed all the Port Health staff are always ready to
afford medical assistance for 'humanitarian' as opposed to strictly 'quarantine' purposes. A few
examples of this help to shipping and seafarers are given below
Medical Cases—
s.s. "Sinop" — At 23.30 hours on the 19th January, 1959, a telephone message was received at
the Hulk "Hygeia" from Watkins' tug office at Gravesend, saying that the s.s. "Sinop", a Turkish
ship on passage direct from London to Turkey, would be anchoring in Gravesend Reach on
her way down river and had asked for a doctor to see a member of the crew.
Dr. D.T. Jones, the Boarding Medical Officer on Duty, went aboard and examined a member
of the crew and came to the conclusion that the patient was suffering from acute renal colic. It
was decided to transfer the patient to hospital and he was lowered over the side of the ship into
the ambulance launch "Howard Deighton" and taken to Terrace Pier, Gravesend, and from there
to St. Barts' Hospital, Rochester.
s.s. "Finnmaid" — At approximately 12.15 hours on the 2nd September, 1959, Dr. J. A. Jones
First Assistant Port Medical Officer, received a message from the Gravesend Ambulance Service
to say that a stevedore had collapsed in the hold of the s.s. "Finnmaid" which was lying at
Greenhithe Buoys. Although an ambulance and a boat were standing by, they were unable to
contact any of the local doctors.
Dr. Jones at once proceeded in the "Howard Deighton" and boarded the ship atl2.45hours
where he found the man was dead. He had collapsed at about 11.45 hours and, in Dr. Jones'
opinion, had died within five minutes. The Port Health staff landed the body at Terrace Pier,
Gravesend, into the charge of the Gravesend Police.
Although no treatment would, presumably, have made any difference in this case, it might
have been more expeditious to have landed the patient at once and taken him to the nearest hospital.
It is doubtful, however, if we shall ever break the British attitude of "Send for a Doctor".
m.v. "Gothic" — The m.v. "Gothic" due at 03.00 hours on the 8th September, 1959, was forced
to anchor in dense fog in the Lower Hope. On board was a child of seven suffering from acute
appendicitis.
Contact with the ship, via the Thames Navigation Service, disclosed that one of the
"Gothic's" tugs had, by means of Radar, got alongside and the tugmaster was willing to remove
the patient to Gravesend working his way back by Radar navigation.
Arrangements were made for an ambulance to stand by and for a bed to be reserved at the
Gravesend and North Kent Hospital where the patient duly arrived.
The ship was well below the Quarantine Station and, of course, without Radar, it was an
impossibility for the "Howard Deighton" to reach the ship. This instance, however, showed very
close co-operation between the Boarding Medical Officer on Duty (Dr. Roden), the Thames Navigation
Service, and the local tugmaster.
s.s. "Pando" — At about 13.55 hours on the 16th October, 1959, Dr. J.A. Jones received a
telephone call from Shell-Mex asking for assistance for the s.s. "Pando". A deckhand had
vomited blood about a quarter of an hour earlier and was now stated to be "almost unconscious".
Once again Tilbury Hospital and Thurrock Ambulance immediately agreed to accept and
transport the case.
On boarding the ship, Dr. Jones found the patient had recovered to a remarkable degree.
He was in fact standing on deck waiting to be transferred to the "Howard Deighton". There was
evidence of a considerable haematemesis on the deck, so no time was lost in landing him at
Tilbury Stage where the ambulance arrived within two minutes. The whole 'operation' was completed
in half an hour.
Radio requests for medical advice
s.s. "Clan Maclean" — The following notes on an 'incident' which occurred on the 4th February,
1959, were submitted by Dr. J.A. Jones:
12 noon. Telephone message from North Foreland W/T Station to Hulk "Hygeia" asking for
medical advice for a seaman on the s.s. "Clan Maclean". He had suffered serious
injury from falling down a hold, having fallen on his right shoulder. Fracture of
shoulder suspected and other injuries. Vessel could arrive off Isle of Wight at
1700 hours.
12.5 p.m. This information reported to Clan Line, Tilbury Dock, who asked Dr. Jones to await
a telephone call from their London Office.
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