Researches on the bacteriological diagnosis of cholera carried out by medical officers of the Sanitary, Maritime and Quarantine Council of Egypt / under the direction of Marc Armand Ruffer, President of the Council.

Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Researches on the bacteriological diagnosis of cholera carried out by medical officers of the Sanitary, Maritime and Quarantine Council of Egypt / under the direction of Marc Armand Ruffer, President of the Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/30 (page 4)
    had to be abandoned, for it was found that no cases of chol had occurred among the pilgrims in the Hedjaz, nor on the reti journey. A sharp look-out was kept at El Tor for cases of sudc diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps, but in vain. No disease resembli cholera was observed. On the days following this discovery, the intestinal contents every pilgrim who died in the camp were examined bacteriologica I superintended the autopsies and examined all the patients hospital, together with Dr. Zachariadis Bey; who, having seen seve epidemics, was well acquainted with the clinical signs and lesions cholera. Nevertheless no case of cholera was discovered, thou in no less than 5 typical cases of colitis and dysentery we isolal cultures not to be distinguished from those of cholera, even by 1 agglutination test and Pfeiffer's reaction. The pilgrims finally 1 El Tor five days after the finding of the vibrio, and no cases of choh occurred either on the ships, or after the pilgrims reached home. During the four following years, the work of reorganisation a the lack of skilled assistance prevented the systematic prosecution these researches; though I frequently observed vibrios in the sto< of pilgrims free from all symptoms of cholera. In 1902, the pilgrims brought back typical cholera from Jedd and Yambo to El Tor. The observations made at the time show three facts quite clearly : 1. —The stools of almost every pilgrim suffering from diseas other than cholera (e.g. pneumonia, rheumatism, dysentery, cons pation, diarrhoea etc.) contained vibrios numerous enough to recognised microscopically. 2. — Vibrios agglutinating with cholera serum were isolated frc patients showing no symptoms of cholera. On the other hand, soi vibrios isolated from typical cases of cholera did not agglutinate w cholera serum. 3. —Although it was unavoidable that pilgrims carrying vibri should mix with other pilgrims, yet only one fresh case of cliDk occurred in the camp ; all the others were imported. In the gene: hospital, where the majority of patients were excreting vibri in every stool, not a single case of infection occurred among t patients, the European or native attendants. Further, not a sine case of cholera occurred on the ships leaving El Tor after the peri< of quarantine was over.