London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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City of London 1970

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]

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SECTION VII
SMALLPOX
1. Name of Isolation Hospital to which smallpox cases are sent from the District.
Long Reach Hospital is situated on the south bank of the River Thames about eight miles
above Gravesend. The hospital consists of 10 ward blocks capable of accommodating 170 patients
but, except in cases of emergency, only three ward blocks (2 of 20 beds and 1, a cubicle ward, of
10 beds, total 50 beds) are kept available for immediate use. The hospital includes residential
quarters for the staff and laundry, although the administration and staffing is carried out from
Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford.
2. Arrangements for transport of such cases to that Hospital by ambulance giving the name of
the Authority responsible for the ambulance and the vaccinal state of the ambulance crews.
A case or cases of smallpox would be removed from the vessel by one of this Authority's
ambulance-launches and conveyed ashore via the pontoon at Denton and from thence conveyed by
road ambulance direct to Long Reach Hospital.
The Port Health Authority would be responsible for the vaccinal state of their ambulancelaunch
crews, while the vaccinal state of the Road Ambulance personnel would be the concern of
the ambulance authority, the Greater London Council.
3. Names of smallpox consultants available.
Dr. W.T.G. Boul
Dr. A. Melvin Ramsey
Dr. C.F.L. Hill (Bexley, Greenwich & West Kent)
Dr. G.D.W. McKendrick
Dr. E. O'Sullivan
Dr. J.C. McEntee
Dr. J.C. Blake (Outer Kent)
Dr. E.H. Brown
Dr. J.D. Kershaw
Dr. H.P. Lambert
Dr. R.T.D. Emond
4. Facilities for laboratory diagnosis of smallpox.
Facilities are available at the Virus Reference Laboratory at the Central Public Health
Laboratory, Colindale, N.W.9.
SECTION VIII
VENEREAL DISEASE
Venereal Disease is not compulsorily notifiable to Medical Officers of Health, but efforts are
made both by the Boarding Medical Officers and the Port Health Inspectors to bring to the notice
of seamen using the port the facilities available for free treatment and the importance of obtaining
skilled treatment as early as possible. A leaflet has been produced and is issued as appropriate.
A copy is set out below. Small posters giving similar information are put up in suitable dock
premises, with permission from the Port of London Authority, and in accordance with the requirements
of the Indecent Advertisements (Amendment) Act, 1970.
It is usually possible to arrange for a patient to be referred to the Seamen's Hospital or other
suitable hospital in the vicinity of the ship.

VENEREAL DISEASES

ALBERT DOCK HOSPITAL Alnwick Road, E.16 Telephone 01 -476 2234Mon 2 pm - 4 pm
Wed 2 pm - 4 pm
Fri 2 pm - 4 pm
DREADNOUGHT SEAMENS HOSPITAL Greenwich, S.E.10 Telephone 01 -858 3433Mon 5 pm
Wed 5 pm
Fri 5 pm
GUY'S HOSPITAL London, S.E.1 Telephone 01 -407 7600Mon to Fri 9 am - 7 pm
Sat 9 am - 12 noon
SHEPPEY GENERAL HOSPITAL Sheerness Telephone Minster (Sheerness) 2116/7Sat 11 am - 12 noon