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Finding he was not fit for work, he was sent to the Branch Seamen's Hospital
in the Royal Albert Dock on October 5th, where he was admitted as an
in-patient, and he was diagnosed to be suffering with Broncho-pneumonia.
He became rapidly worse, and died on the 6th October.
A Post-mortem examination was made, and the appearance of the internal
organs was very suspicious of Plague. Specimens were submitted to the
Local Government Board for examination by Professor Klein, who
pronounced that the man had died from Plague.
I communicated with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.
on October 7th, informing them of the suspicious circumstances, so that
warning might be sent to the surgeon of the vessel, but found that the vessel
had already left the Thames on October 5th.
On arrival at Marseilles, it is stated that three members of the crew had
been attacked with Plague (two had died, and during the next twenty-four
hours, three other persons were attacked), making seven cases in all, including
the case of the man who had died in the Seamen's Hospital.
The vessel subsequently arrived at Port Said and entered the Suez Canal, all
persons on board being well, but three cases were landed at Aden, and a
further case occurred between Aden and Bombay, making eleven cases in all.
It was subsequently ascertained that several dead rats had been found in one
of the holds, the mortality being ascribed to the eating of a certain bean
which formed part of the cargo.
The s.s. " Oceana," of Belfast, 93,170, left Bombay on September 10th,
1910, arriving at Gravesend on October 2nd, and proceeded to Tilbury Dock.
Several cases of Malaria had occurred during the voyage, and one man, on
arrival at Gravesend, was found suffering from Pneumonia. He was examined
by the Medical Officer on duty, who pronounced the case to be not of an
infectious character, and the man was allowed to proceed with the vessel into
. dock, where he subsequently recovered.
On October 5th, a member of the Lascar crew complained of fever, for
which he was treated. On the 7th, he was found to have a bubo which
Dr. Willoughby reported to me as suspicious, and I directed him to remove
the case to Denton Hospital for observation. The bubo was incised and
a specimen of the fluid sent to the Local Government Board for examination
by Professor Klein, who reported that the case was one of Bubonic Plague.
I ordered the vessel to be removed from the Tilbury Dock into the river and
moored at one of the buoys.