Annual report on the health of Gibraltar.

  • Gibraltar. Public Health Department.
Date:
[1927]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Annual report on the health of Gibraltar. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHARACTER of Trade—Gibraltar is a port of call for a large number of passenger service steamships, and at certain seasons of the year tourist steamships call almost daily. There is also a large coastal trade with Morocco. Gibraltar is a free port; there being no manufactories or local industries there are no exports. Imports consist of foodstuffs and manufactured articles. There is a large amount of merchandise transhipped at this port for Morocco and other places. Precautions adopted to prevent the importation of INFECTIOUS DISEASES.—Frequent consultations were held during the year between the Captain of the Port, the Port Surgeon and the Medical Officer of Health in connection with measures to be adopted regarding the arrival of shipping from infected ports. The general outline of the procedure adopted in carrying out the medical inspection of ships is as follows :— A ship on entering the bay is met by the Boarding Officer. If it is found that it has come from an infected port and is still within the quarantine period, or has a suspected case of infectious disease on board, or not carrying a ship’s surgeon, has any illness amongst the crew, it is placed in strict quarantine pending the visit of the Port Surgeon. Depending on his recommendation the ship either remains in quarantine or is admitted to pratique. Should a ship arrive in the Bay having a case of Plague, Typhus, Cholera or Yellow Fever on board, she is placed in strict quarantine, all communication with the shore or other ships being prevented by a patrol of Health Guards and Marine Police, the instructions issued by the Board of Health being carried out as far as applicable in each individual case. Other cases of infectious disease may be landed on the recommendation of the Port Surgeon, the cabins and bedding being disinfected after their removal. Disinfection of the holds of ships is not undertaken. There is, however, a “Clayton” machine in Gibraltar which is available in cases of emergency. All cases from the Bay requiring treatment in hospital are removed in the Ambulance Barge, and on being landed, con¬ veyed to hospital in the City Council’s Motor Ambulance. INFECTIOUS CASES.' All cases of infectious disease landed from ships in the Bay are removed in the ‘ special ’ ambulance