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56
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
(6&7). A. V., notified on the 21st December, and R.V., notified
on the 28th. These patients both had mussels, in the
one case about a week before, and in the other case a
fortnight before the onset of the illness.
The mussels in the last three cases were purchased from local
dealers who obtained their supplies from Billingsgate Market,
and the Medical Officer of Health for the City, who was communicated
with, informed me that the mussels in each instance
came from layings at Hadleigh Bay, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Samples
were submitted to Dr. Klein and he reported that the mussels
were dirty outside and inside, and that they were decidedly
polluted.
Of the two cases attributed to cockles, and the one to
winkles, no definite information could be obtained as to the source
of the shell-fish, but in all three cases the symptoms of the
disease appeared about a fortnight after eating the shell-fish
The question of contamination of shellfish by sewage has
been dealt with by the Royal Commission on Sewage Treatment
in their report issued in December, 1903.
The Commission states that the evil is sufficiently grave to
demand a remedy and the report states that the only way to
deal with the evil is to place tidal waters under the influence of
some competent authority, and confer on that authority the power
to prevent the taking of shell-fish for human consumption from any
position in which they are liable to dangerous contamination
They propose that the Rivers Board should be the authority, subject
to an appeal to the Central Authority, and that the Central
Authority should be a new department under the Local Government
Board.
The question of foreign shell-fish is also dealt with and it
is recommended that a guarantee should be required from each
Government "that all oysters and other shell-fish imported into
"this country for human consumption have been procured from
"locations where they were not liable to be contaminated by
" sewage or other objectionable filth."
It is to be hoped that the Government will take early action
in this matter as until legislation is made nothing can be done to
stop the exposure for sale of oysters from polluted layings.