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12
On the 23rd September a child was reported to be suffering from enteric
fever in a watchman's cottage in the Royal Albert Dock.
She was at once removed to Hospital and the cottage fumigated.
On examination of the sanitary condition of the cottage several defects
were found and remedied, though there is no reason to suspect these as having
been the cause of the disease.
On the 27th, another case of chicken pox, traceable to infection from
steam ship " Rewa," was taken to the Port Sanitary Hospital from the
steam ship " Ethiopia," to which vessel he had been transferred.
On the 1st October the steam ship " Chyebassa," on arrival, reported a case
of enteric fever. The vessel was visited and the patient then being convalescent
no further action was deemed necessary.
The vessel left Calcutta on 22nd August. A passenger was attacked on
7th September and was declared to be convalescent on 25th September.
A second (a native) was taken ill a few days later.
In the course of the investigation it was found that the master had made
no entry in the official log in accordance with the provisions of the Merchant
Shipping Act, this fact was therefore communicated to the Board of Trade,
who called upon the master for an explanation.
It seems rather an anomaly that although the Act requires an entry to be
made of the sickness of any member of the crew, it is not compulsory in the
case of a passenger; this omission might easily lead to serious consequences.
On the 3rd December the steam ship " Clan Buchanan," which left Calcutta
on 24th October, reported that a patient who was attacked with erysipelas on
25th October had, during delirium on 28th, jumped overboard and was
drowned.
On the 19th December a case of measles was taken from schooner
" Florence," lying at Gravesend, and the vessel fumigated.
The infection was derived from Grimsby, where the lad had been staying
with his brother in bed who was suffering from the same disease.
THE TRAINING SHIPS.
The health of the boys has on the whole been very good, especially when
the great drawback of living on a sewage-polluted river is taken into
consideration. It seems almost impossible to believe that the advantages
from the experience of ship life can be at all commensurate with the danger
to health from this source.