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In view of Press reports in regard to this vessel, two Assistant Port Health
Officers, a Food Inspector, a Sanitary Inspector and two of the clerical staff boarded
the ship when she arrived off Gravesend. The staff remained on board all night and
continued their investigations on 1st March.
Every person on board was seen and the addresses of their destinations obtained.
At the same time they were interrogated as to whether they had suffered from any
symptoms of gastro-intestinal disturbance during the voyage.
The ship's company consisted of:—
First-class Passengers 84
Tourist Passengers 84
Crew 241
Total 409 souls.
Of these, a total of 83 persons—23 first-class passengers, 9 tourist passengers,
41 stewards, 3 deck department and 7 engine room department—reported that they
had had some diarrhoea or vomiting, or both, during the voyage. None of them was
seriously ill and all had recovered on arrival in London.
Five deaths occurred during the voyage (1 passenger and 4 crew ratings), but none
of them appeared to have been associated with the outbreak of gastro-enteritis.
Three of the crew ratings were reported from Port Sudan to have died from
malignant malaria, and this diagnosis must be accepted. The fourth crew rating was
reported to have died on board from dysentery and liver abscess, but in view of the
reports on the cases landed at Port Sudan it is possible that he, too, suffered from
malignant malaria.
The passenger was reported to have died from malignant endocarditis and
septicaemia, and this diagnosis was accepted.
The cause of the gastro-enteritis may have been due to food poisoning or a mild
form of dysentery. A search was made for possible carriers of dysentery and food
poisoning organisms, but in all the cases examined both blood and fæces were negative.