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21
Recurrences.
These occurred at intervals up to nearly a month after the original
outbreak. There was no fixed period of recurrence—in some
cases symptoms recurred after a day or two, in others men came
back to work for some time feeling fairly well, and then went down
with a recurrence of symptoms. In nearly all the cases seen
temperature was subnormal (97.2°), there was rather more prostration
than in the first case, and symptoms were the same as before
—considerable diarrhœa and abdominal pains. Vomiting was
practically absent. Physical examination revealed nothing more
than before.
Distribution.
No department was specially picked out by the epidemic—
cases occurred all over the factory from the manager downwards—
and were not spread from department to department in a manner
suggesting an air-borne infection.
The same applies to recurrences, except that, as will be seen
later, Department 14 had rather more than its share of these cases.
STATISTICS.
The following is an accurate record of cases reporting sick and
seen at the Hospital, but is not a complete record for the reason
that a number of men were taken ill after leaving work, were seen
by their own, doctors, and never came under our notice at all.
Some who stayed out a day or two were considered by their doctors
to be suffering from an ordinary attack of the Gastric Influenza
type, and therefore were not brought to my notice on resuming
work. I should say that in the earlier days of the epidemic a
considerable number more men were affected than are reported here.