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TYPHOID FEVER - SS "MOOLTAN"
The ss "Mooltan" arrived, off Gravesend at 0630 hours on the 15th December,
1949 and was boarded by the Port Medical Officer on Duty
PORTS OF CALL
Outwards - Port Said, Aden, Colombo, Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydne
Brisbane
Homewards - Brisbane 27/l0, Sydney 2/ll, Melbourne 5/ll, Adelaide 8/ll,
Fremantle 12/11, Colombo 2l/ll, Bombay 24/ll, Aden 29/ll,
Port Said 3/12, Marseilles 8/l2, London 15/l2
PERSONNEL
Crew European » 162
Asiatic 269 Total 431
Passengers
Tourist British 338
Alien 9 Total 347
Passenger Crew
for "Empire Fowey"
European 83
Asiatic 151 Total 234
Grand Total 1,012
1 The Boarding Medical Officer found that a Joiner, an Assistant Steward and a
Distressed British Seaman were reported by the Ship's Surgeon as having a rise of
temperature of unknown origin and a Lascar as a case of dysentery Seeing that
there was no evidence of a rash on any of these men nor obvious signs of epidemic
disease, the ship was permitted to proceed to her berth in the King George V Dock
with these men on board and arrangements were made for their removal by ambulance
to the Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich, as soon as the ship had tied up at her berth-
2 On the following day a further member of the crew, a Bell boy (European) was
found to be feverish and was admitted to the Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich Five
samples of the drinking water were taken and delivered to the Seamen's Hospital
Laboratory at 340 pm for bacteriological examination
3 17.12.49 The Port Medical Officer of Health was informed that some of the
cases admitted to hospital were very suspicious of enteric fever and he consequent!;
visited the ship and after conference with Dr Corbett, the Medical Superintendent
of the P & 0 Steam Navigation Company, and other Officers, drew up a number of
measures for the prevention of the spread of infection Such measures included s-
(a) The removal of all bedding, blankets, towels and personal clothing of the
suspected cases for steam sterilisation
(b) All water taken in abroad to be chlorinated up to 1 part per million, then
discharged through the service pipes, the tanks to be then refilled with
London water and again to be chlorinated up to 05 parts per million The
chlorine content of the water to be maintained at approximately 05 parts
per million by daily control and, if necessary, re-chlorination
(c) Arrangements were made with the Ministry of Health Laboratory, Colindale to
receive samples of stool from all members of the crew for bacteriological
(18)