Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897

Provisions as to Ships.

177Provision as to ships within the jurisdiction of local authority.

Any ship lying in any river, harbour, or other water shall be subject to the local authority of the district within or ex adverso of which such river, harbour, or other water is situate, and to the sheriff, magistrates, and justices of the peace having jurisdiction in such district, and shall be within the provisions of this Act in the same manner as if such ship were a house within such district, but this section shall not apply to any ship belonging to Her Majesty or to any foreign government.

178Provision as to district of local authority extending to place where ships are lying.

For the purposes of this Act, any ship that is in a place within three miles of the coast of Scotland, and not within the district of a local authority, shall be deemed to be within the district of such local authority as may be prescribed by the Board, and until a local authority has been prescribed then of the local authority whose district nearest adjoins the place where such ship is lying.

179Charge for medical officer attending sick on board any ship and to be paid by captain.

Whenever, in compliance with any regulation of the Board which they are hereby empowered to make under this Act, any medical officer employed by a local authority performs any medical service on board any ship the local authority shall be entitled to charge for such service, and such charge shall be payable by the captain of such ship on behalf of the owners thereof, together with any reasonable expenses for the treatment of the sick, and in the event of dispute the amount shall be determined by the sheriff in a summary manner; and if such services shall be rendered by any medical practitioner who is not a medical officer of the local authority, he shall be entitled to charge for any service rendered on board, with extra remuneration on account of distance, at the same rate3 as those which he is in the habit of receiving from private patients of the class of those attended and treated on shipboard, to be paid as aforesaid; and in case such charges be not paid, the medical officer or practitioner may bring an action against the person in charge of such ship for the same, and the ship, cargo, and tackle thereof, shall be subject to a lien for the amount of such charges.

180Power to remove to hospital sick persons brought by ship.

Any local authority may make byelaws for the removal to any hospital to which such authority are entitled to remove patients, and for keeping in such hospital so long as may be necessary any persons brought within their district by any ship who are infected with an infectious disease.