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All precautions were at once taken; the vehicles in which he had
travelled were traced, and dealt with by the West Ham Sanitary
Authority, while the house in which he had lived and his clothing were
fumigated and cleansed by the Whitechapel Board of Works. The conclusion
arrived at was that the patient was suffering from a severe attack of so-called
"English cholera" or diarrhoea, and this was confirmed by the official
statement of the Local Government Board that "he had been suffering from
"symptoms which although clinically indistinguishable from true cholera
" are from time to time observed in cases of cholera nostias, such as occur
"annually in London and other large cities."
Although the policy of concealment is dangerous and unjustifiable, the
excitement caused by this announcement shows the extreme necessity for
caution in publishing cases of cholera until the diagnosis is confirmed, and
the heavy responsibility of such diagnosis.
Two other alarms have been given. On the 11th September the Local
Government Board reported steam ship "Uppingham" to be on her way to
London, her whole crew having been attacked with "fever with choleraic
symptoms," nine deaths having occurred.
The owners of the vessel, on being communicated with as to the date of
arrival, stated that there had been one death on board from "Java fever," and
that they had decided not to bring the vessel to London.
On the same day the steam ship "Tagus," which was stated to have had
twelve deaths from cholera on board among the pilgrims two months
previously, was reported to be bound for London.
She arrived on 23rd, when it was found, according to the Medical Officer's
Log that there had been two deaths from dysentery, but none from cholera.
Nevertheless she had been detained for 18 days at Suez, and finally, to
complete the farce, allowed to leave in strict quarantine.
On the 4th September the Local Government Board, acting under the
Public Health Acts, issued an order prohibiting the importation into this
-country of rags from Spain until the end of the year 1890.
In consequence of the decline of cholera in the country the order has not
been renewed.
Your Worshipful Committee had previously applied for an order to
prohibit rags from Mesopotamia and other parts where the cholera was at the
time prevailing, but the Local Government Board did not see its way clear to
issuing such.