View report page

24
The following cases are interesting:—
Eleanor S. W-, aged 27, residing at No. 36, T-Street, a house in a
satisfactory sanitary condition, was taken ill about September 17th, and was certified
to have enteric fever and removed to hospital on October 15th.
Thomas D. W-, aged 30, husband of the above patient, residing at 65, A-
Street, where he had been living since the removal of his wife to hospital, was taken
ill about November 6, certified to have enteric fever on December 6th, and died
of perforation the following day. He may have been infected by his wife before
her removal to hospital, but he was in the habit of paying her frequent visits whilst
she was lying in a dangerous condition in the hospital.
The following cases occurred at No. 63, N- Street, a house in a satisfactory
sanitary condition:—
Alice B-, aged 25, was taken ill about September 20th, and was certified
to be suffering from enteric fever on October 11th. About the time she was likely
to have been infected it is stated that she had some mussels to eat.
Charles R. B—, aged 5, son of the above, was taken ill about October 10th,
and certified to be suffering from enteric fever on October 17th.
Of the 34 cases certified as enteric fever during the year, in 7, or 20 per cent.,
there were grounds for believing that infection was contracted from previous cases
within the Borough. In the majority of instances, however, nothing definite
throwing light upon the source of infection was ascertained. In one instance the
patient, a plumber, attributed his illness to drinking water which had an unpleasant
taste whilst on a job in Surrey. In five instances mussels had been eaten prior to
the commencement of the illnesses, and in two cockles were mentioned. Watercress
was noted in one instance, and ice-cream in two, but there was nothing to indicate
that these delicacies were likely to have conveyed infection, although it is quite
possible they may have done so.
With respect to the sanitary condition of the houses in which the cases occurred,
in the great majority of instances this was satisfactory. In one instance the drains
required attention, in two the houses were generally dirty or otherwise unsatisfactory,
and in one instance some overcrowding was found to exist.
The cases of enteric fever certified in the metropolis numbered 1,396, as compared
with 1,608 for 1906. The attack-rate was not quite 0.3 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The deaths numbered 194, as compared with 260 for 1906, the death-rate being
0.04 per 1,000 inhabitants.