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January, 1963.
To
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COMMONERS
OF THE CORPORATION OF LONDON
My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit as Medical Officer of Health for the Port of London my Annual
Report for the year ending 31st December, 1962.
A letter from the Secretary, Ministry of Health, dated 28th December, 1961, contained a
reminder that the Medical Officer of Health should prepare his Annual Report on the lines indicated
in Form 20 enclosed with Circular 33/52 of the 6th November 1952, adapted as may be
necessary to the special needs of the administration of the London Port Health District.
Paragraph 5 of Form Port 20 reads as follows: "The information required by Sections I, V,
VI, VIII, XIV and XVI, which has been given in an earlier report and has not since changed,
need not be repeated each year. A recapitulation of all information should be made in the Report
for the years 1952 and 1955 and thereafter quinquennially. For the intermediate years, only the
changes which have occurred during the year covered by the Report need be mentioned in those
Sections: if there is no change, "No Change" should be entered. This Report has been prepared
in accordance with the above directive.
The following is a summary of the principal items mentioned in this Report: —
Shipping
The number of vessels arriving in the Port of London during 1962 was 27,785, 17,156 from
foreign ports and 10,629 coastwise. The total tonnage of these arrivals was 46,267,832 net
tons as compared with 44,370,892 tons in 1961. The Boarding Medical Officers visited 1,688
vessels from foreign ports and 5 coastwise ships. The Port Health Inspectors made 15,411
inspections of vessels, 12,615 of which were foreign going, 1,678 coastwise and 1,118 inland
navigation.
Communicable Diseases
373 cases of notifiable and other infectious diseases were reported as having occurred on
149 vessels; 190 of these cases were dealt with in the Port. Ill cases were admitted to
various hospitals, including 49 to the Port Isolation Hospital at Denton, near Gravesend.
Following an outbreak of smallpox in Karachi, 47 passengers who had arrived from there at
London Airport without evidence of recent vaccination were, at the request of the Ministry of
Health, isolated in Denton Hospital until it was evident that vaccinations performed on arrival
in this country were successful.
Three cases of smallpox, (three children of one family and there were no secondary cases)
reached the Port and full precautionary measures were take on two other vessels following
information of suspected cases of smallpox having been landed abroad.
First Aid
Although Gravesend was chosen as the Authority's Quarantine Station as a convenient centre
of intense shipping activity, that Station has also developed in time as a Medical First Aid Post.
Whereas other medical aid is often difficult if not impossible to obtain, the fact that the Boarding
Medical Officers are now well known to be permanently on day and night duty leads to their help
being sought for all kind of medical emergency, including accidents and many kinds of illnesses
in addition to infectious diseases, to deal with which is the essential purpose of their being
stationed where they are. Apart from their own knowledge and skill, the convenience of their
contacts through the radio telephone and the Thames Navigation Service with Doctors, Hospitals
and Ambulance Services on both banks, greatly enhances their usefulness to anyone connected
with shipping who is in need of medical and allied care of any kind.
Rodent Control
During the year 2,783 rats, 1,508 in ships and 1,275 in shore premises were destroyed in the
Port of London. In addition 1,633 mice were destroyed, 282 in ships and 1,351 in shore premises.
112 rats were examined for plague with negative results. 3,793 inspections of lighters for evidence
of rodents were made.
International Deratting and Deratting Exemption Certificates
The number of deratting certificates issued was 77, the method of deratting in 70 instances
being poisoning with Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080). 1,004 deratting exemption certificates were
granted.
Shellfish
During July 3 cases of Typhoid Fever were reported as occurring, resulting from eating shellfish
gathered for private consumption and not for sale at Scrapsgate in the Isle of Sheppey.
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