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71
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
vendor in the street. The name of the vendor was unknown to
the purchaser.
(9.) T. R., notified 011 the 30th August. Had cockles at Southend on
the 7th August and the first symptoms appeared on the 20th
August. Southend cockles have had such a bad reputation
that there was no difficulty in coming to a definite conclusion
in this case.
(10.) J. M., notified on the nth September. Had whelks about a
fortnight before onset of the disease, purchased from a coster.
(11.) T. P., notified on the 7th October. Had shrimps on the 26th
August at Ramsgate. This patient was at Ramsgate on that
date with M. R. who lived in the Borough, and M. R. was also
removed to hospital suffering from Enteric Fever on the 12th
September.
(12.) E. P., notified on the 18th September. Had shrimps on the
23rd August at Ramsgate. The first symptoms appeared about
the 10th September, but she continued at work till she was
removed to hospital on the 18th September.
In all the five cases where watercress was suspected it was
purchased from itinerant vendors., and further enquiry showed that it
had in two cases been grown at watercress beds just outside the
Borough. The water from this bed h?d been examined by the
officials of the London County Council and unfavourably reported on.
With reference to the cases contracted outside the Borough and
abroad it was impossible in the majority of the cases to obtain any
definite history of infection, although (with the exception of one
case infected in Germany and one in Italy) enquiries were made
from the Medical Officer of Health of the localities from which the
patient had come.
Of the 13 cases infected by previous cases seveu occurred among
members of the same family and their relatives, infected by the same
original case.
This outbreak occurred in Tooting and the cases were not
notified until I personally visited the house on the 30th January.
On that date I was asked by the medical man in attendance to see