Health organization in Australian ports / compiled for the Division of Marine Hygiene, under the authority of the Minister for Health.

  • Australia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1928?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Health organization in Australian ports / compiled for the Division of Marine Hygiene, under the authority of the Minister for Health. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    159/176 (page 157)
    Facilities for Disinfection. ' Disinfection on board vessels is, where necessary, carried out by the Quarantine Assistant. When disinfection of effects from vessels is required, as, for example, secondhand clothing or Asiatic baggage, this is carried out either in a suitable confined space on board the vessel or in the gas tight fumigation chamber situated close to the wharf. Certificates of Fumigation. On completion of fumigation or of trapping and poisoning opera- tions on a vessel, a certificate is issued, which is signed by the Quarantine Officer and countersigned by the Quarantine Assistant who - performed the work. The Quarantine Assistant hands the fumigation certificate to the Agents, together with the statement of account, including overtime charges. The Agents pay the account to the Sub- Collector of Customs, who forwards to the Collector of Customs in Brisbane a monthly statement showing the amounts collected. The Quarantine Assistant keeps particulars on the butt of the certificate form, which butts are checked by the Audit Inspector against the amounts paid to Customs. Bills of Health are signed by the Quarantine Officer, and issued to vessels by the Sub-Collectir of Customs. Particulars as to the incidence of infectious disease in the port, together with any special action taken in respect of the vessel while in port, are supplied by the Quarantine Officer for insertion on the Bill of Health. Provision for Vaccination. Stocks of calf lymph and prophylactic vaccines are held at the Commonwealth Health Laboratory. | . Action under the Navigation Act. The Sub-Collector of Customs is Superintendent, Mercantile Marine. The Quarantine Officer is Medical Inspector of Seamen under the Navigation Act. Any seamen requiring examination are referred to the Medical Inspector of Seamen by the Superintendent, Mercantile Marine, who sends with the seaman an application for examination, on the proper form. Fees for examination are collected and paid in the usual way. Case records of each examination are kept by the Medical Inspector, who forwards the essential particulars to the Divisional Office at Brisbane for transmission to the Central Office of the Com- monwealth Department of Health. Some 30 examinations are made annually by the Medical Inspector of Seamen. Medical Inspection of vessels under the Navigation Act is not carried out at Cairns. Local Health Organization. The port health authority is the Cairns City Council. The local health staff consists of the City Medical Officer of Health and the City Health Inspector, who holds the certificate of the Royal Sanitary Institute, London. The District State Health Inspector, who is responsible directly to the Commissioner of Public Health for Queensland, also has his head- quarters at Cairns.