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To:-
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COMMONS
OF THE CITY OF LONDON IN COMMON COUNCIL ASSEMBLED
My Lord Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour, as Medical Officer for the Port of London, to submit my Annual Report for
the year ending 31st December, 1971.
This Report has been prepared in accordance with the directive issued by the Secretary of
State and contains the full details required by form Port 20.
The year was one of further considerable change. Following the phased contraction in the
number of traditional up River wharves and dock berths, including the closure of Surrey Commercial
Dock, the transfer of shipping lines to facilities further down River has continued. There has been
an improvement and expansion of the accommodation down river to meet demands associated with
the growth of containerisation, unitisation, and larger bulk carriers as well as of transferred
shipping.
The implementation in 1970 of Devlin phase II, which extended the length of the working day
of the Port, so that ships loaded and discharged cargoes between 07.00 hours and 21.00 hours,
from Monday to Friday and on occasions during Saturday and Sunday, has necessitated the attendance
of Port Health Inspectors to cover these additional hours.
The Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1970 came into force on 1st January, 1971 and necessitated
certain amendments to procedures. These are also detailed in the body of the Report, but
mention should be made of the fact that they no longer refer to "quarantinable diseases"; instead
reference is now made to "diseases subject to the international health regulations". A definition
of "free pratique" has been introduced, a revision of regulation 15 (dealing with signals) has been
carried out and the substitution of "infected area" for "infected local area". The Regulations
have also been widened to cover the requirements of an international certificate of vaccination
against cholera.
During the year Members of the Port and City of London Health Committee continued the
traditional practice of keeping in touch with the work of the Authority by visiting areas of the
Authority at different times of the year. One official Committee visit was made to docks in
addition to the Annual River Inspection.
A paper read by Mr. A.H. Marshall, F.A.P.H.I. on the occasion of the Association of Sea and
Air Port Health Authorities of the British Isles Annual Conference at Southwark is added as an
appendix.
I wish to express my appreciation of the invaluable assistance which has been given by the
numerous individuals and organisations whose work is so closely allied with ours in the Port. The
co-operation which is displayed is of the utmost importance in carrying out the multitude of operations
in which we are involved.
I have the honour to be, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
W.G. SWANN, M.D., B.Sc.,
Medical Officer of Health,
Port and City of London.
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