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24
"St. Bartholomew's Hospital and College,
" May 19th, 1903.
"In continuation of yesterday's report I have to state that all further
"tests made with the bacillus, which was considered yesterday as highly
"probable to be bacillus typhosus, proved the microbe to be the true bacillus
"typhosus. I do not remember whether I mentioned it, but I do so now,
"viz., that two to three drops of the fluid emulsion of the stain on the
"blanket that we examined yielded innumerable colonies of the bacillus
" typhosus.
"E. KLEIN."
A letter, mentioning all the facts relating to the purchase of the blankets,
and containing Dr. Klein's report, in full, on the bacterioscopic examination
of the blankets, was sent to the Secretary of State for War. It was urged
that the issue of blankets returned from South Africa should cease
immediately, and that any blankets already issued should be recovered with a
view to the disinfection of the same.
The Under-Secretary of State for War stated that steps would be taken to
prevent any further issue of the blankets, and he would ascertain as far as
possible where those already issued had been sent.
The blankets on the training ship "Cornwall" were purchased from
Messrs. A. and B., who had obtained them from Messrs. C. and D.
As it was extremely probable that these firms had large quantities of these
blankets in store, and their premises being within the jurisdiction of the City
of London, the facts were communicated to the Medical Officer of Health for
the City, and as a result of the information supplied by your Medical
Officer, large numbers of the blankets were traced to various parts of the
kingdom, and were disinfected by the local authorities concerned.
Enquiries were made on the other training ships lying in the River Thames,
and it was ascertained that no blankets from South Africa had been purchased
on their behalf.
Further enquiries discovered bales of returned army blankets lying in the
Docks. These were found to be in a more or less filthy condition, and were
disinfected under the supervision of an officer of this Authority.
The total number of cases of Enteric Fever which occurred on the training
ship "Cornwall" was 15, extending over a period of 51 days.
It will thus be seen that, although the bacterioscopic examination of the
water supply indicated evidence of slight sewage contamination, yet had the
infection been introduced by this source, it is more than probable that out of
the 230 boys on board the vessel, a larger number than 15 would have been