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s.s. "PORT PHILIP" - GASTRO-ENTERITIS - ? FOOD POISONING
The above-named vessel arrived in the Port of London on the 9th March and presented a clean
Declaration of Health.
On the 23rd March your Port Health Inspector on the Royal Docks (Mr. Ward) informed your
Medical Officer by telephone of the occurrence of several cases of gastro-enteritis (? food
poisoning) among members of the crew using the Officers' and Engineers' mess.
Your Medical Officer, in addition to instructing Mr. Ward to draw samples of the drinking water
as a precautionary measure, telephoned the Shipping Federation Medical Officer on the Royal
Docks and arranged with him to obtain stools from the patients for bacteriological examination.
Unfortunately it was found that the vessel was scheduled to leave the Port of London for
Liverpool by the afternoon tide of the 23rd March. Nevertheless a stool was obtained from one
of the staff of the galley which served the mess affected and also samples of the drinking
water, before the vessel sailed.
A letter was sent the same evening to the Medical Officer of Health of Liverpool informing
him of the circumstances and of the action that had been taken in this port, with a request that
he might carry on from where we had left off.
On the 29th March the Medical Officer of Health of Liverpool wrote informing your Medical
Officer of the action taken on arrival of the vessel at Liverpool, reporting that the vessel would
be sailing for Glasgow on the 30th March and returning to London on about the 9th April.
On receipt of this letter on the 31st March your Medical Officer telephoned the Medical Officer
of Health of Glasgow informing him briefly of the circumstances and confirming the telephone
conversation by a letter enclosing copies of the correspondence with the Medical Officer of
Health of Liverpool and requesting that he be informed of the action taken in Glasgow in order
that he might know how to deal with the ship when she returned to London.
The following is an extract from a letter dated 9th April received from the Glasgow Health
Department
"....When the ship arrived here on the 1st April it was boarded by Dr. Thomson and Mr.
Smith of the Port Health Authority on the same day. There was no complaint of illness on
board and the Master was satisfied with the state of the crew's health. Nevertheless
Dr. Thomson arranged the following examinations
(a) Specimens of motions from the catering staff, 13 in number
(b) Specimens of motions from two galley boys who handle food
(c) Specimen of stool from the Chief Officer, who is now feeling well
(d) Samples of water from the four water tanks on board the ship will be subjected to
bacteriological and analytical examination.
You will note that 16 specimens of stools were to be examined. Fifteen were submitted and
found negative. The Chief Steward did not submit a specimen. I enclose a copy of the
analytical and'bacteriological examinations of the fresh water samples. These are self
explanatory.
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