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He was admitted as a suspected case of Typhoid Fever, but after close observation
and exhaustive tests over several days, showed typical signs of Kala Azar,
which, though known in Spain, is so rare as to be quite exceptional. The
patient was transferred to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases for treatment
and post-graduate teaching purposes, and later returned to Canada quite
recovered.
"I should like to express my thanks to our Consulting Physician, Dr.
James Crawford, and our Consulting Surgeon, Mr. J. Dawson Hartley, for their
ready assistance and advice on several occasions during the year, and to Dr. P.
Manson Bahr, of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, W.C. 1, and Mr. S. Levy,
of the Seamen's Hospital, Tilbury, who so readily co-operated in accepting
the transfer of tropical and surgical cases respectively for special and urgent
treatment."
V.—MEASURES AGAINST RODENTS.
The routine measures remain as described in the Report for 1937. The results
shown in Tables "E," "F," "G" and "H" do not call for special comment. The
following incident is, however, recorded as affording special interest:—
A Case of Excessive Mortality among a heavy Rat Population.
A vessel left Port Adelaide fully loaded with grain and flour in sacks on 2nd April.
Her voyage continued as follows:—Banbury, 8th to 10th April; Mauritius,
30th April, and Durban, 8th to 11th May.
On the 22nd May, while at sea, the vessel broke her main crankshaft, and she
drifted until 27th May, when temporary repairs were effected. On 6th June she arrived
at Lagos, leaving on 16th June in tow of a Dutch tug. Her voyage from then on was
as follows:—Dakar, 7th and 8th July; Madeira, 20th and 21st July; Gravesend,
3rd August; Bellamy's Wharf, Lower Pool, 4th August.
On opening the hatches at Bellamy's Wharf on the 5th August, the Chief Officer
reported by telephone the finding of four dead rats on top of the cargo, and that live
rats had been seen running about.
The four dead rats recovered, one each from Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 holds, were forthwith
sent to Seamen's Hospital for bacteriological examination. Later in the day it
was reported that these rats on examination were found to be negative for plague.
On the following day, August 6th, two dead rats were sent for examination and
found to be negative.
The vessel continued discharge on Monday, 8th August, and pronounced evidence
of rat infestation Avas observed throughout the holds.
On investigation it was found that the vessel had been fumigated by Hydrogen
Cyanide at Barry on the 25th October, 1937, and a Deratisation Certificate issued to
that effect.
This certificate had been extended for one month on 8th May at Durban to enable
the vessel to reach this country. At Lagos, on the 13th June, a further two months'
extension had been given owing to the delay caused by the breakdown of the crankshaft.
A rat-catcher was employed on board during the discharge of cargo and
immediately on completion of the discharge, on 10th August, the vessel was towed to
Gravesend Buoys, where a complete Hydrogen Cyanide fumigation was carried out
on the 12th August.
A summary of the rats found and destroyed is as follows:—
Found Dead 59 (30 of these were thrown overboard.)
Trapped 10
Fumigation 102
Total 171
Twenty-four rats were submitted for bacteriological examination, of which 23 were
found to be negative for plague. One rat was too decomposed to be examinable.