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*(i.) A boy aged six and an elder brother aged eight living in St. Pancras were attacked with pain in
the stomach and vomiting on the night of June 6th. The younger boy subsequently became comatose
and died on June 8th. At the post-mortem examination "No 'naked eye' changes which could account
for death " were found.
It was ascertained that on the evening of June 4th the boys had partaken of ice-cream from an
Italian's barrow in the street near their home, the younger boy having three times as much as his
brother. There was no other evidence to connect the illness with the ice-cream. The vendor was not
traced, and no other cases of illness, as far as could be ascertained, occurred in the locality in which he
had sold his ices on June 4th.
(ii.) A boy aged 2¾ died on July 4th after 12 hours' illness. An inquest was held at the Shoreditch
coroner's court, and it was concluded that ice-cream was the probable cause of death.
In company with Dr. Bryett, the medical officer of health for Shoreditch, I made inquiry concerning
this case and also concerning other cases in which children were taken ill after eating ice-cream, which
were referred to at the inquest as having recently occurred in the neighbourhood. There was no
evidence pointing to the conclusion that the boy who died had partaken of ice-cream. His grandmother,
who had charge of him, had no knowledge of his having eaten ice-cream, and explained that "he
hadn't a ha'penny in his pocket," and that he "couldn't toddle to a barrer." The other cases in the
neighbourhood resolved themselves on inquiry into the case of a boy who had suffered some inconvenience
from abdominal pain after consuming "32 ha'porths" of ice-cream.
(iii.) A girl aged 2¾, living in Shoreditch, began to be ill on the morning of August 2nd ; she was
feverish, had some difficulty in breathing, was convulsed, and died at midnight. On the 31st July and
on the the 1st August she had eaten one or two farthings worth of ice-cream. Dr. Young, who made
inquiry into the matter, found no other evidence incriminating this ice-cream, but it was ascertained
that on Saturday, July 30th, the child fell and hurt her head, and she afterwards complained of pain in
the right ear. An inquest was held and a verdict of death from natural causes was returned.
(iv.) A girl aged 7, living in Camden-town, was seized with vomiting on August 1lth ; severe
diarrhoea supervened, and the child died on the 12th. An inquest was held, and the medical attendant
gave evidence that the mesenteric glands and Peyer's patches were inflamed, that there was recent
endocarditis of the aortic valves and severe basic pneumonia of both lungs. He considered the case was
one of early typhoid fever. As ice-cream poisoning had been suggested as being the cause of death,
Dr. Young made inquiry into the previous history of the child, but there was no evidence that she had
recently consumed ice-cream.
(v.) A girl aged 11, living in Clerkenwell, suffered from headache and fever coming on after a fall,
and it was ascertained that at the time of the fail a stranger gave the child a penny, which she spent in
ice-creams. The coroner having communicated with the Council concerning the case, Dr. Young was
present at the post-mortem examination, when it was ascertained that the cause of death was meningitis,
consequent on middle ear disease on the left side.
(vi.) There was an increased prevalence of enteric fever in East Greenwich during September and
October, which was made the subject of investigation by Mr. Hartt, the medical officer of health. I
visited the locality and made inquiry at several houses, and was furnished with a number of particulars
concerning other cases by Mr. Bache, one of the sanitary inspectors of Greenwich. It was clear from
the facts ascertained that there was no evidence pointing to the implication of ice-creams.
The Italian ice-cream vendors.
The sale of ice-cream as carried on from barrows in London streets is largely in the hands of
Italians. The cream is moreover for the most part made upon the premises where the barrow men
live. It is of interest therefore to ascertain, as far as possible, the facts concerning the numbers
and the distribution throughout London of the Italian itinerant vendors.
At the census of 1891, 3,809 males and 1,329 females living in London returned Italy as the
country of their birth. The numbers have grown considerably during the last 40 years.
Thus in 1861 there were 1,714 males and 327 females, in 1871 there were 2,015 males and 538
females, and in 1881 there were 2,876 males and 628 females returned as having been born in Italy.
In 1891 the numbers were, as already stated, 3,809 males and 1,329 females, a notable increase
as compared with 1881, especially as regards females, for the number of Italian women will be seen to
have more than doubled in the 10 years. In Holborn registration district there were 1,069 males and 382
females as compared with 1,311 males and 250 females in 1881. Thus the males showed diminution and
the females increase in this district. The registration district next in order to Holborn, in respect of the
number of persons born in Italy belonging to it, was Westminster, with 530 males and 122 females.
No doubt many of these persons were employed at the various restaurants in Soho. The other registration
districts with more than 100 Italians at this census were St. Pancras, Fulham, Marylebone,
St. Giles, St. George Hanover-square, Islington, Kensington, Paddington, Lambeth, Greenwich,
Strand and Wandsworth.
In the census report, the reliability of these figures is discussed (pages 65 and 66 General Report,
1891), and in particular consideration is given to the question, whether apprehension on the part of
European-foreigners of " special taxation or of hindrance in the way of finding employment may have
led some of them to disguise their origin by assuming English names or giving English towns or
counties as their place of birth." On the whole the conclusion is arrived at that there is not " adequate
reason for supposing that the aggregate number of foreigners given in the tables has been very
materially affected by fraudulent statements."
Very much larger numbers than those given above were arrived at in an attempt which was
made by the Italian Consulatef in 1895 to estimate the number of Italians resident in London. In
the light of such information as was officially available, supplemented by study of certain published
" directories," and in some instances by local inquiry, it was estimated that 11,595 Italians were living
in London in 1895. It is not clear whether in this total women and children are included.
The Italian residents are classed in three groups—
A.—Merchants, traders, professional men and householders.
B.—Working-class and Holborn district.
C.—Soho and West-end.
Group B comprises in all 3,960 persons, and group C, 5,780 persons.
* A detailed note on this case was published in Public Health for July, 1898.
t La Colonia Italiana in Londra. G. Silvestrelli, Libreria Bocca, Rome. (Commented upon in London,
September 5th, 1895.)