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Anthrax.
The following is a list of the cases of anthrax in connection with the Borough notified
during 1911:—
Date Notified
1911.
Name and Address
of Patient.
Occupation.
Part
affected.
Source of
Infection.
Result of
Illness.
H. L., Beaconsfield
Road, Edmonton
Flock sorter
Foreign hides
Sept. 8th
Left arm
Recovered
Neck
Sept. 9th
D. P., Longley
Street
Leather dresser
Doubtful
Recovered
Oct. 22nd
A. A., Barnham
Street Buildings
General labourer
Breast
Foreign hides
Recovered
Foreign hides
Face
Nov. 14th
J. B., Liverpool
Road, N.
General labourer
Recovered
Consultations.
I was called in by medical practitioners to assist in the diagnosis of doubtful cases of infectious
disease in 7 cases.
8 patients were also examined at the request of school teachers, parents, &c.
I examined at the Town Hall 40 phthisis patients, and 1 person who met with an accident.
I also examined 8 members of the Council's staff.
Plague.
On Monday, June 19th, a telegram was received from a medical inspector of the Local
Government Board, requesting the Mayor, the Chairman of the Public Health Committee, the Town
Clerk, Borough Surveyor and Medical Officer of Health to meet him at the Town Hall that afternoon.
As the Mayor and Chairman of the Public Health Committee was otherwise engaged, the
inspector was met by the officials mentioned. On arrival, he informed us that plague-infected rats
had been discovered at a wharf in Wapping, and that as this is the furthest point up the river these
infected rats had yet been found, the Board considered it necessary that active measures should at
once be taken by London riparian authorities to ascertain whether plague-infected rats existed in
their districts and undertake their destruction. The importance of this investigation cannot be
overestimated by a sanitary authority, since it has been shown in districts invaded by plague that
the human cases have almost invariably been preceded by cases of plague among rats. The
commonest form of plague is the bubonic, and this is always spread by means of rats which have
become infected by the disease. Rats, however, do not give plague directly, but only by means of
the bites of fleas, by which they are always infested. The rat flea differs from the human flea, and
will not attack men unless they are compelled to do so owing to the death of their natural host. It
is therefore very dangerous to handle the bodies of rats which have recently died of plague.
The preventive measures recommended by the Inspector were as follow:—
An immediate systematic visitation and enquiry at all the riverside premises in the
Borough by the Sanitary Inspectors; such enquiry to embrace observations as to the
increase or decrease in the number of rats infesting the premises, whether there has
been any unusual mortality, methods (if any) employed to destroy rats, methods of
disposal of refuse likely to encourage rats, such as food, &c., and at the same time
requesting the occupiers to inform us if any dead rats are found so that one can have
an opportunity of having the cause of death investigated.
Similar recommendations were made to the Borough Surveyor, as a consequence of which
an enquiry letter was given to the scavengers, sewermen, dust carriers, and others employed in his
department to take particular notice of business premises, private houses, sewers. &c., that may
come under their observation, and report to their foremen as to the presence of rats.
Enquiry as to the riverside premises was made on June 20th and 21st; the number of
premises visited being 163. Of these 99 imported food (including grain) and 64 did not import
either food or grain. Of the total, some method of keeping down rats was employed on 117
wharves, 28 using poison, 55 dogs and cats, 40 traps, and 4 used other methods. In only 1 wharf
had dead rats been found which could not be accounted for, and we are in special communication
with the occupiers. Two specimens of young rats were recently killed at wharves in Shad Thames
and Rotherhithe Street, which were sent to the Medical Officer of the Local Government Board,
who reported them free from plague.
Special precautions were recommended in collecting and sending rats for examination so as
to prevent fleas escaping from the dead bodies, for which purpose it has been necessary to order
suitable tongs for lifting them and special boxes for transport.
Special attention is also being paid to complaints of rats in private and other premises in the
Borough. In the event of any plague-infected rats being found it will be necessary for the Council to
take into consideration the various methods available for the extermination of all rats on a large scale.
Between the above date and the end of August traps were set by the Surveyors' Department
in all the principal sewers, several were set by the Public Health Department and private owners
along the wharves, and wherever we heard that rats were prevalent. In this way a very complete
general examination of the Borough was made, and 128 rats were obtained, of which 123 were sent
to the Local Government Board laboratory for bacteriological examination, all of which proved
negative as regards The remaining five were cremated as they were mostly in too advanced,
a state of decomposition for examination.