Dr. Ballard's report upon an acute specific disease, characterised by a peculiar diarrhoea, epidemic among persons who had partaken of refreshments provided at a sale on the Duke of Portland's estate, at Welbeck, Notts. / [Edward Ballard].

  • Edward Ballard
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. Ballard's report upon an acute specific disease, characterised by a peculiar diarrhoea, epidemic among persons who had partaken of refreshments provided at a sale on the Duke of Portland's estate, at Welbeck, Notts. / [Edward Ballard]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    it, to be foul and offensive), and terminated in a 3-incli pipe drain (cl), which, on one side, communicated with the several stalls in the stable, and on the other side with a sewer (e) outside, at a man-liole (/) marked on the plan. There was no trap anywhere in this course. The sewer was the general sewer for this part of the estate, and it received sewage from water-closets of resi¬ dences, from stables, cowsheds, &c., and was not provided with any means of ventilation. The only ventilation of the sewer was into the “ engine-room ” by the circuitous passage here indicated. The refreshments were thus dispensed. In the day time, such as were not in actual use were stored on the floor of the “ store-room,” but, every evening, before the hotel servants left, they were taken down into the engine- room for the night, because it was regarded as the coolest room, and then the doors was closed and locked. In the “ dining-room,” 2s. luncheons were served, consisting of ham and beef, pie, and bread and cheese, with a glass of draught ale. In the “ engine-room ” the solid refreshments dispensed were sandwiches, made invariably of a mixture of ham and beef, with a due allowance of mustard, together with beer, spirits, &c. The food was cut in the “ waiter’s-room ” by servants and attendants from Mansfield; the sand¬ wiches were also prepared there and sent downstairs in piles to be dispensed. Some few of the visitors to the luncheon-room tell me they cut for them¬ selves. The cc water-room ” was only used as a sitting-room for the manageress and for washing-up purposes. There was a tap there from which water was taken for drinking and other purposes. No suspicion attached to the water. The two attendants who opened the refreshment rooms in the mornings state that they never noticed a bad smell in the rooms on these or any other occasions. The food sent doAvn to Welbeck on the Monday after¬ noon lasted up to Thursday. The beef and the coffee-tavern ham sent to Welbeck on the Thursday afternoon did not come into use until the Friday morning, when they were first cut. When a ham was begun to be cut it was gone on with until finished. The food cut at Norton brickfield on the Saturday was a chine and round of beef, a partially used ham, and a fresh ham. Of the last a large part was taken back to Mansfield in the evening, since it was subsequently in cut at the hotel, and a part (about half at the thick end) was given to me on July 13. It had been set aside and kept on account of the public excitement that was occasioned by the illnesses. There were other unauthorised refreshment stalls about the premises, but I cannot learn that much or indeed anything else thau liquors, sweets, &c. were sold at them; and certainly none of the persons taken ill appear to have patronised them. 1. As to the Versons who partook of Refreshments at Welbeck and Norton, and zoere subsequently taken ill or are known to have escaped illness. Number of persons.■—Of these I have a more or less complete record of the illnesses of 72, and I had given me assurances of similar illnesses ] laving occurred in a considerable number of other persons who had attended and taken refreshments at the sale, so that it is certain that these 72 were by no means all that suffered. On the other hand, I myself inquired personally into 22 instances of individuals who had partaken of the same kind of refreshments as those who had suffered, and yet escaped illness altogether. Probably there were very many more escapes than these, since it was far more likely that I should hear of the sufferers than of those who did not suffer. In fact, -in the course of my inquiry, I heard casually of several more of the latter class. We may take it, I think, that at least one-half, probably much more than one-lialf of those who partook of certain solid refreshments ate them without injury. Sex and aye of sufferers.—Of the 72 (mentioned above) who suffered, 65 were males and only 7 females; of the 22 who escaped, 19 were males and only 3 females. The women who went to Welbeck went for pleasure (usually in parties of several together), and it appeared that in many instances they took their own refreshments with them from their homes. The solid re¬ freshments sold at Welbeck were mostly eaten by the men. I have no record