London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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SECTION II
AMOUNT OF SHIPPING ENTERING THE DISTRICT DURING THE YEAR
TABLE B
| Ships from | Number | Net Tonnage | Number Inspected | Number of ships reported as having, or having bad during the voyage, infectious disease on board. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| by the Port Medical Officer | By the Port Health Inspector | ||||
| Foreign Ports | 34,652 | 72,331,286 | 1,357 | 12,760 | 139 |
| Coastwise | 17,505 | 19,287,647 | Nil | 1,731 | Nil |
| Total | 52,157 | 91,618,933 | 1,357 | 14,491 | 139 |
SECTION III
CHARACTER OF SHIPPING AND TRADE DURING THE YEAR
TABLE C
| Passenger Traffic | Number of Passengers — Inwards 137,332 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Passengers — Outwards 139,163 | ||
| Cargo Traffic | Principal Imports | All types of produce and |
| Principal Exports | merchandise | |
| Principal Ports from which ships arrive. The Port of London trades with all parts of the world. | ||
SECTION IV
INLAND BARGE TRAFFIC
These barges are registered annually by the Port of London Authority. They vary in design
and type from open and hatched all purpose general cargo barges, to specialised types for bulk
sugar and refrigerated cargoes. An increasing number of the latter have refrigeration plant incorporated
in the design.
The trend towards amalgamation of barge fleets has reduced the total number in the Port
to approximately 6,000 barges with an aggregate tonnage of some 430,000 tons.
The craft are employed in the transport of a wide variety of cargoes throughout the Port area
and its environment by way of creeks and canals.
SECTION V
WATER SUPPLY
1. Source of Supply. No change.
2. Reports of tests for contamination. No change.
3. Precautions taken against contamination
of hydrants and hosepipes. No change.
4. Number and sanitary conditions of water boats
and powers of control by the Authority. No change.
There were seven reports of contamination from hydrants during the year and two reports of
contamination from the ends of delivery hoses. These were discovered during the normal course
of routine sampling. In each case no attributable cause for the contamination was discovered
and it must be assumed that contamination had been introduced through the unhygienic handling
of the equipment. Fortunately water had not been supplied to shipping from the hydrants but in
the case of the ends of delivery hoses, these had been used for water supplies to two ships. The
Owners were informed that chlorination of storage and supply lines were advisable and standard
measures were adopted in each case.
There were 21 reports of contamination of supplies on board ships. These samples were
drawn mainly from fresh water taps over galley and messroom sinks. The source of supply to
these is from "domestic fresh water" storage in double bottoms and peak tanks. The presence
of this potential danger on board indicates the necessity of ensuring that the standard of purity
of "domestic" supplies should be as high as the "potable" water supplies.
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