Reports and papers on suspected cases of human plague in East Suffolk and on an epizootic of plague in rodents.

  • Great Britain. Local Government Board.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Reports and papers on suspected cases of human plague in East Suffolk and on an epizootic of plague in rodents. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Symptoms and Physical Signs in the Several Cases. For my information relative to the cases I am indebted to notes from Dr. Carey and Dr. Sleigh, one or other of whom attended the oases, to Dr. Herbert Brown, whose assistance was sought in consultation, and to Dr. Heath, wlio carried out the bacterio- logical investigations, and the accounts which follow are based l)artly upon the notes and information tlius furnished me and partly upon two i>apers contributed to the British Medical Journal.* The child, A. G., aged 9, who was tlie first inmate to he attacked had some eight days j)reviously returned from a cottage at Hence Bark Farm, Harkstead, where she had been staying with relatives. This farm is situated in an isolated position near the middle of the Samford peninsula, about midway between the villages of Harkstead and Fiiwarton, but a little to the north thereof (see mai)). Tliis child was taken ill on September 12th with vomiting, and wlien seen next day by Dr. Carey, of Holbrook, she had a temperature of 105°. No dulness was detected over the lungs and there was no cough; breathing was then normal. Next day the child’s general condition appeared unchanged, but on the following day, September 15th, rales wei(* detected over the base of both lungs and the breathing was attcelerated. During the night the child coiiglied up some blood and suffered from diarrluea and vomiting, 'riiere was also some delirium. The child died on the morning of Sei)tember IGth, the temperature having throughout the illness maintained a level of about 105°. Death was certified as due to “ Gastric Catarrh and Bneumonia.” Mrs. (■. (the mother), aged 40, who iiui-sed the foregoing case, Avas taken ill on the night of Wednesday, September 21st, with headache and nausea, and when seen by Dr. Carey on the afternoon of the following day she had a temjierature of nearly 105°, with crei)itation at the bas(‘ of both lungs, and during the night there was much vomiting and diarrluea. On the folloAving morning. Se])tember 20rd, her breathing was very rai)id, laboured, and grasping, and her pulse imperceptible. She died the same day, the cause of death being recorded as “ Septic Pneumonia.” Some sputum from this case was collected for bacterio- logical examination by Dr. Herbert Brown, of Ipswich, who was asked by Dr. Carey to see the case. This si)utuni, which did not resemble pneumonic sputum, was brownish in colour and presented the appearance of being tinged with Anchovy sauce. It was examined by Dr. Heath, bacteriologist to the Ipswich and East Suffolk Hospital, who found in it pneu- mococci and gram-negative diplobacilli in large numbers. (a) Four cases of Pneumonic Plague, by H. P. Sleigh, M.D. ; (h) the Recent Plague Cases in Suffolk, by Herbert H. Brown, M.D., F.R.C.S., BrUish Medienl Jnurnol, Nov. 12, 1910,