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22
The vessel is situated off Purfleet, and about five miles below the main
sewage outfall of the London County Council at Crossness.
It would appear from the stage of the illness, that these four boys were
infected at, or about, the same time.
No cases had occurred in the village of Purfleet.
Enquiries were made on the vessel with a view to discovering the cause of
the outbreak of this disease. It was found that the sanitary arrangements
were somewhat imperfect, and that the water supply was obtained from the
shore by means of a hose which was defective. Consequently, the water
supplied to the vessel was probably slightly polluted with river water. On
board, the water was filtered through charcoal and stored in tanks.
Condensed milk was used on board, there were no shellfish layings in the
vicinity of the vessel, and no history of the boys who were attacked having
obtained or eaten any shellfish.
Up to this point there appeared no cause for the outbreak.
On my recommendation, new closets were at once supplied, a new hose
obtained, and the use of the charcoal filters was discontinued.
Your Medical Officer of Health being away on leave, Mr. G. C. Hancock,
who was at the time Acting Medical Officer of Health for the Port, visited the
vessel and obtained samples of the drinking water, one from the standpipe on
the shore, and one from the water as stored on board.
The chemical examination showed that the waters were good, so far as
organic impurities were concerned, but both samples contained much common
salt, and were also very hard.
Bacterioscopic examination revealed, that the water taken from the standpipe
on shore contained no bacillus coli or coli-like microbes, although it
contained a larger number of bacteria generally.
The water taken from the tank on board was distinctly polluted with
comparatively numerous bacillus coli and coli-like microbes.
During this time it was ascertained by Inspector Rolfe, who was conducting
a personal sanitary inspection of the vessel, that there were some blankets on
board which were reported to have come from South Africa. On enquiring
into this it was ascertained that about 400 blankets were, on the 7th February,
purchased from A. and B. These were Government blankets which had been
returned from South Africa. It was also discovered that 28 of the blankets
were distributed to the boys on the vessel on the 15th March, and an
additional 29 were sent to the ship's hospital on shore. It was necessary that
the blankets should be examined, with a view to ascertaining their precise