London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Poplar 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]
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Shellfish and Predisposing Causes.
Eight cases of Typhoid Fever were stated by the patients or their friends to be due to eating shell-fish, as follow:—
| No. | Date. | Age. | Sex. | Address. | Remarks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25th Jan. | 21 years | Male | Venue Street | Had eaten mussels on the 15th inst. Been out of work and in ill-health for some time. (Died 28th January.) |
| 2 | 9th Aug. | 18 years | Female | Lefevre Road | Had eaten cockles, brought to her by a friend a fortnight previously, and subsequently on the 4th Aug. had a meal of tinned salmon. No other member of family ill. (Report from Metropolitan Asylums Board, 2nd September, not a case.) |
| 3 | 15th Sept. | 11½ years | Male | Marshfield Street | Whole family had had a hearty meal of mussels six weeks previously. W.c. trap broken and leaking into wash-house. Patient had been bathing in River Thames. |
| 4 | 28th Sept. | 20 years | Male | Bow Road | Had eaten oysters whilst in France on summer holidays, |
| 5 | 12th Oct. | 3 years | Male | Marshfield Street. | See Case No. 3. (Died 25th October.) |
| 6 | 19th Oct. | 13 years | Male | Do. | Do. |
| 7 | 14th Dec. | 17 years | Female | •Thomas Street | Had made a hearty meal of mussels a fortnight previously. Taken ill with pneumonia and was removed to Sick Asylum, where Enteric Fever was subsequently diagnosed. |
| 8 | 23rd Dec. | 10 years | Female | * Do. | Sister of above patient and had slept with her. |
Respecting the stated causes and predisposing influences, etc., of some of the other cases, they are given below as received from the patients or their friends, viz.;—
| No. | Date. | Sex. | Age. | Address. | Remarks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st Jan. | Male | 28 years | High Street, Poplar | Pneumonia (followed by Enteric Fever). Closet pan choked owing to no water supply—another patient (see No. 7) had gone to the London Hospital supposed to be suffering from Enteric Fever. (Patient, aged 12, died 1st February.) |
| 2 | 8th Jan. | Male | 6 years | Clifton Street | |
| 3 | 8th Jan. | Female | 12 years | Do. | |
| 4 | 8th Jan. | Female | 3 years | Do. | |
| 5 | 8th Jan. | Female 35 years | 35 years | Do. |
• Whilst this report is being written a brother of these patients has been notified
as Buffering from Enteric Fever on 10th January, 1910.