International cooperation on the health of seafarers began many years ago. As early as 1921, an international convention regarding this matter was presented to govern ments of maritime countries for ratification. The First World Health Assembly, in 1948, recommended that WHO should establish, with the International Labour Of fice, a Joint Committee on the hygiene of seafarers. The first session of this Com mittee, held in 1949, defined the problems affecting the health of seamen and made a number of recommendations. In the opinion of this Joint Committee, the health of seamen called for...