View report page

Report of the Medical Officer of Health. 57
happened neither the patients or their friends could give much
reliable information.
In 26 of the 62 actual cases some history of probable infection
was obtained.
In 11 the infection was probably due to shellfish, in five to water
cress, in two to ice cream, and in eight cases the patients had been
infected by previous cases. One case was infected at Oporto and
fell ill at that place.
With reference to the cases probably due to shellfish, three were
from eating oysters, three from cockles, two from shrimps, one
from mussels, one from winkles, and one from whelks. One of the
cases from eating oysters and one from eating cockles were fatal.
The following are the particulars of these 11 cases:—
(1). G.T., notified on the 7th September. This patient had been on
a holiday to Yarmouth and had oysters there. He went to
Yarmouth on the 1st August, returned on the 15th, and the
first symptoms occurred about the 18th August. This case
proved fatal.
(2). D.B., notified on the 27th September, first symptoms appeared
about the 14th September. He had some oysters at Margate
on the 1st September which were purchased from a small
vendor of shellfish on the Front.
(3). T.S., notified on the 5th December, first symptoms on the 23rd
November. Had oysters about three weeks before onset of
first symptoms, but no information could be obtained as to
where they had been purchased.
(4). C.R., notified on the 4th July, first symptoms occurred about
three weeks previously. This patient was a vendor of cockles
on Clapham Common.
(5). F.D., notified on the 5th September, first symptoms on the 22nd
August. This patient had cockles at a village near
Teignmouth about a fortnight before the first symptoms
occurred.