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APPENDIX.
REPORT by Dr. M. STEEDMAN, Medical Officer to the Works.
Date op Onset—Thursday, February 27th, 1930.
It was first brought to my notice on Friday, February 28th,
that during the last shift the day before a considerable number of
men had reported sick with diarrhoea. I saw a good number of
cases that day.
Symptoms.
The most prominent symptoms were considerable diarrhoea
with abdominal pain. The onset was usually sudden. In a few
cases there was vomiting, but this was not nearly so prominent a
symptom as the diarrhoea.
The most common history was : Feeling pretty well, suddenly
taken with severe abdominal pains and feeling very ill. Almost
immediately considerable diarrhoea, with frequent passage of loose,
watery stools, continuation of pain and feeling of malaise. Pain
of griping character, often very severe. A considerable number of
the men were normal in 24 to 48 hours, but in many cases the
diarrhcea continued for some days, with periods of comparative wellbeing,
then sudden exacerbations of diarrhoea.
In practically no cases was there pyrexia.
Some cases complained of accompanying sore throat, often
noticed a little while before the abdominal symptoms.
Physical examination revealed very little—temperature subnormal
rather than raised, pulse-rate normal. Tongue somewhat
furred, but not markedly so. Some abdominal tenderness over
epigastrium and over descending colon, but not very marked.
Most cases not very ill, but a few looked very ill and were prostrate,
and in a few cases among the female staff there were fainting
attacks.