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48
W. M., aged 43, noticed a boil on the right side of his neck on January 30th. He did
not come to hospital until February 3rd. The constitutional symptoms in this case were
but slight.
E. J., aged 39, noticed a pimple on the right side of his mouth on January 28th. He
applied for treatment on February 3rd. The pustule in this case was atypical.
W. B., aged 51, noticed a pimple on his left elbow on January 31st. He was admitted
into Guy's Hospital on February 4th. This man's illness was complicated by abdominal
symptoms and bronchitis. Bacilli were found but the pustule was atypical.
These five men were employed at the tanyard above referred to.
R. H., aged 29, noticed a pimple under his chin on February 4th, and applied for treatment
on the same day. The pustule was quite typical and bacilli were found. During the
course of the illness the patient suffered from delirium and other cerebral symptoms. This
man was the man who loaded the goat skins at the wharf in Tooley-street for transmission
to the tannery.
The owners of the tannery in which the five cases occurred afforded every assistance in
their power in furthering inquiries made with a view to ascertaining the cause of the outbreak.
The result of such inquiry was to throw suspicion more particularly upon certain
bales of goat skins, but the evidence against them could not be regarded as conclusive.
Shortly after the occurrence of the outbreak in connection with this tanyard three other
cases developed which may have been associated with it.
I. M. B., a girl aged 4, lived not far from the tannery above referred to. This child was
related to the engineer at the tannery. She had gone to spend the day with her aunt (the
wife of the engineer) about the end of January, and the aunt had seen the child several times
since. Towards the end of February a pimple developed on the child's left cheek, and F. S.,
the child's uncle, a boy aged 13, remembers washing her face on a particular occasion prior
to taking her for a walk over the Tower-bridge. The date of this walk would be February
28th or 29th. On March 3rd, the girl was admitted to Guy's hospital, the diagnosis was
made, bacilli were found to be present, the pustule was excised, and the child made a good
recovery.
On March 8th, F. S., the above-named patient's uncle, was admitted to Guy's hospital.
He had noticed a pimple on his lip on March 6th, and recollected making himself a moustache
with a piece of goatskin on March 4th. This piece of goatskin was at first supposed to be
the source of infection, but in the light of the facts concerning I. M. B., it seems probable
that F. S. was infected by her. The pustule was excised and the presence of anthrax
bacilli was demonstrated. The patient made a good recovery.
J. W. H., aged 18, who was also employed at the above-mentioned tanyard, noticed a
pimple on his right cheek on April 24th. He was admitted at Guy's on the 28th, the
pustule was excised and the patient rapidly recovered. This man was employed in painting
the inside of skins after they had been in the "soaks" and before they went to the
" unhairers." This work was conducted in a place in which the skins suspected at the
time of tl e February outbreak had been for a time deposited, but no other connection with
this particular set of skins could be traced.
Meteorology.
The tables published in the annual summary of the Registrar-General and prepared by Mr. James
Glaisher, F.R.S., from observations at Greenwich show that the mean temperature of the air in 1895
was 49.3 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0'7 degrees Fahrenheit above the average of 124 years. The rainfall
during the vear amounted to 19.73 inches, and was 5.33 inches less than the mean of 80 vears.