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11
Plague frequently is pneumonic in form, and the vessel had called at Plagueinfected
ports, your Medical Officer obtained portions of lung and spleen, and
submitted them to bacteriological examination by Dr. Klein.
The results were negative as regards Plague. As a precautionary measure,
however, the whole of the crew were carefully examined, and the forecastle,
with the effects of the deceased, disinfected.
On the 8th October, a suspicious case of sickness was found on the
" Oakwell," lying at Rotherhithe. He was removed to the Port Sanitary
Hospital. The vessel and all effects were disinfected, but the case was not
established as one of Plague.
On 11th November, the s.s. "Cygnet,'' of London, arrived at Fresh Wharf
from Naples, where Plague has been known recently to exist, and while there
laid not far from the actual place where Plague broke out.
On opening the hatches of the after-hold, a number of dead rats in a fairly
advanced state of decomposition were discovered on the top of the cargo.
This was at once reported to your Medical Officer, who gave instructions that
all dead rats were not to be handled, but were to be placed in a bucket
containing a solution of corrosive sublimate, and to be forthwith conveyed to
and destroyed in the ship's furnace. Precautions were taken to prevent the
rats from the ship getting on shore. The names and addresses of the men
working in the ship were obtained daily, and several dead rats were forwarded
to the Local Government Board for the purpose of bacteriological examination.
This was carried out by Professor Klein, who reported that he was unable to
find the Plague bacillus.
The presence of dead rats on a vessel coming from a port where Plague has
been known to exist recently, demands that the vessel, pending the result of
bacteriological investigations, should be treated as suspected. This was the
method of procedure conducted in this case—although there were certain
facts which indicated that the death of these rats might be due to another and
more innocent cause : (1) the great bulk of the rats were discovered on the
top of the cargo under the hatches, as if endeavouring to get towards the fresh
air ; (2) a part of the cargo in that hold consisted of wine lees which emits
carbonic acid1 gas ; (3) no live rats were seen in this hold ; (4) all the rats
presented the same appearance, namely, a fairly advanced state of decomposition,
which made it appear likely they had all died on practically the same day.
It is reasonable, therefore, to infer that the rats were killed by the gas evolved
from the wine lees. On the other hand, if the rats had been killed by Plague,
the disease probably would have spread gradually, and rats would have been
found in all stages, namely, healthy, sick, dying and dead, and the distribution
of dead bodies would not, in all probability, have been confined to the afterhold
only.