Dr S. Monckton Copeman's report on an outbreak of enteric fever in the borough of Harwich and its neighbourhood, 1912-13.

  • Copeman, S. Monckton (Sydney Monckton), 1862-
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr S. Monckton Copeman's report on an outbreak of enteric fever in the borough of Harwich and its neighbourhood, 1912-13. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/22 (page 10)
    and asked his consent to the supplying of samples of his blood and excreta for examination, in order to determine whether or not lie was in a potentially infectious condition. To this he raised strong objection, asserting that lie was perfectly well, and that he was quite certain that he had nothing to do with the fever. I also impressed on Mr. It. the desirability, in his own in- terest as well as in that of the public health, of stopping the suspected milk supply. This, as lie subsequently informed me, was done from January 17th, the milk produced during the next few days being thrown away on the farm land. Subsequently J. A. G. permitted the withdrawal of a few drops of blood, and he also promised to send on samples of his excreta in bottles which Dr. Cook left with him for the purpose. The blood samples in capillary tubes were at once sent oft to Dr. Ledingham at the Lister Institute, who, on the following day, reported by telegram that the blood had given a positive reaction to the Widal test. Dr. Ledingham also examined the specimens of faeces and urine, supplied by J.A.G.,for the presence of the bacillus typhosus, but was not successful in isolating this micro-organism. Such failure, however, in view of the positive reaction obtained with his blood, does not necessarily militate against the supposition that he was a carrier of enteric fever, and that he might have been capable of transmitting infective material to the milk supply, say, a couple of months previously, as it is well known that excretion of of the specific micro-organism in such cases is apt to be inter- mittent, the latent periods not infrequently extending over periods of many months. It would doubtless have been more satisfactory to have obtained further samples of excreta for examination, but unfortunately this did not prove feasible. An interesting sidelight on J. A. G.'s condition of infectivity, during a period antecedent to the recent outbreak of enteric fever in Harwich and Parkeston, is to be found in the fact that the only case of enteric fever notified in the Tendring Rural District outside Parkeston itself, and probably the earliest to suffer attack, was J. A. G.’s brother, notified on December 2nd, 1912. Furthermore, what is probably to be regarded as the first of the Harwich cases, other than those which occurred at Hill Cottages, was that of Rose P., aged 22 years. This woman, notified December 28th, 1912, at the time she came under observation was living in Coke Street, Harwich, to which address, however, she had gone, on December 9th, 1912, from Ramsay, where she had been living with her brother-in-law (Georgy G., brother of J. A. G.) for several weeks previously. The house was opposite to that in which J. A. G. had also been living previous to leaving for farm No. 1 towards the end of November, 1912, and in which he had himself been laid up with enteric fever rather more than a year previously. There is one privy with two seats, common to five cottages, including the two referred to above as occupied by the brothers G. and their families. As this house is at no great distance from the farm, it is reasonable to suppose that—as indeed I was informed had been the case—J. A. G. not infre-